Mr. Haniff is the Director of Pure Land Learning College Association Inc., Toowoomba, Australia. In 2010, he was invited by Professor Master Chin Kung AM to establish the Multifaith and Multicultural Centre.

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Muhammed Haniff Abdul Razak

<h4>MUHAMMED HANIFF ABDUL RAZAK, Coordinator at the Multi-Faith Multicultural Center and Pure Land Learning College, shares how the organization has been involved in building social and cultural harmony in diversity in the city of Toowoomba in Australia. Their vision for peace is practical and based on the vision of their founder, the Venerable Master Chin Kung A.M.&nbsp;</h4>Toowoomba is a regional city to the west of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia. It has several heritage façades, many parks, and a population of about 200,000. In 2001, the Venerable Master Chin Kung A.M. decided to make this city the home for Pure Land Learning College Association Inc. Since that time, as well as being a Buddhist Center, it has also become a Peace Advocate Center that brings everyone together, building a shared future for a better world to live in. In June 2013, Toowoomba was declared by the Mayor, Paul Antonio, a Refugee Welcome Zone.Today Toowoomba is a city proud to have residents from eighty different ethnicities, beliefs, customs, and cultures, coming from Germany, the British Isles, Malaysia, Singapore, Nepal, Korea Afghanistan, Syria, Sudan, Congo, Iraq, South Africa, Sri Lanka, China, Somalia, Libya, and Pakistan, just to name a few of those making Toowoomba their home. We have a school where 26 languages are spoken daily. It is a mini-United Nation in Australia. And the demographics are growing. This has sparked the eminent Venerable Master Chin Kung to have the vision of making Toowoomba a model city of peace and harmony.&nbsp;<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/model_city_peace_harmony2_c2be9c01ce.webp" alt="model-city-peace-harmony2.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_model_city_peace_harmony2_c2be9c01ce.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_model_city_peace_harmony2_c2be9c01ce.webp 600w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/model_city_peace_harmony2_c2be9c01ce.webp 600w," sizes="100vw"><h4 style="text-align:justify;">How the journey began: Friendship Dinners since 2001</h4>What sparks a community initiative from this seemingly simple gathering over meals and sharing stories? Allow us to reflect some understanding of the basics and fundamentals that have helped us to make this journey possible. We hold on to the principles that:⦁ Humans are bundles of potential. ⦁ The basic building blocks of life are relationships. ⦁ Educate and communicate, don’t teach. ⦁ Technology cannot replace human conversation. ⦁ Leadership reminds—authority tells.The Friendship Dinners have created opportunities for conversation. They have created a safe space for all community members to be together. They have built bonds and fellowship, and as a result trust has emerged. Why do people want to journey with us, be a partner? They believe in what we believe. When we build trust, people are willing to take risks, experiment, and explore. We create a sense of purpose for others to journey with us.&nbsp;<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/model_city_peace_harmony4_b893550110.webp" alt="model-city-peace-harmony4.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_model_city_peace_harmony4_b893550110.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_model_city_peace_harmony4_b893550110.webp 600w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/model_city_peace_harmony4_b893550110.webp 600w," sizes="100vw">&nbsp;<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/model_city_peace_harmony3_3bba2c2334.webp" alt="model-city-peace-harmony3.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_model_city_peace_harmony3_3bba2c2334.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_model_city_peace_harmony3_3bba2c2334.webp 500w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/model_city_peace_harmony3_3bba2c2334.webp 500w," sizes="100vw"><hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">When we build trust, people are willing to take risks, experiment, and explore. We create a sense of purpose for others to journey with us.</h4><hr>The Toowoomba guidelines in promoting religious harmony and social cohesion are:⦁ A strategic road map which includes core programs. ⦁ A tagline that is easily identifiable, “Everyone Matters.” ⦁ An organized platform, an action plan. ⦁ A Secretariat: the Multi-Faith Multicultural Center established to support the agenda.&nbsp;<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/model_city_peace_harmony5_95950eac8d.webp" alt="model-city-peace-harmony5.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_model_city_peace_harmony5_95950eac8d.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_model_city_peace_harmony5_95950eac8d.webp 800w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/model_city_peace_harmony5_95950eac8d.webp 800w," sizes="100vw">Our programs and action plan are crafted along the four cardinal principles of Sharing, Kind Words, Beneficial Acts, and Cooperation. These are at the center of the Venerable Master Chin Kung’s teachings, in order to connect and engage, and to enhance social flourishing. Examples of the four cardinal principles in action are:Sharing: friendship dinners, harmony lunches, tea gatherings, harmony day, language and cultural festivals.Kind Words: social values and ethics classes, faith sharing.Beneficial Acts: sponsorship of medical research, community development programs, Clean Up Australia Day, working together, First Nations Endowment Scholarship Fund, Toowoomba Hospice Community Fund, Community Labyrinth.Cooperation: collaboration in conferences, workshops, training, talks, and activities with government and other community and voluntary organizations.We thrive because we believe in conversation not debate. We constantly remind ourselves that “The mind debates, the heart relates.” We educate rather than teach, we practice servant leadership, we adopt the 101% principle, we follow the simple tagline “Everyone Matters,” and we invest in our emotional bank.&nbsp;<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/model_city_peace_harmony6_9dc0405fcc.webp" alt="model-city-peace-harmony6.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_model_city_peace_harmony6_9dc0405fcc.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_model_city_peace_harmony6_9dc0405fcc.webp 800w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/model_city_peace_harmony6_9dc0405fcc.webp 800w," sizes="100vw">&nbsp;<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/model_city_peace_harmony7_d1956eac17.webp" alt="model-city-peace-harmony7.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_model_city_peace_harmony7_d1956eac17.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_model_city_peace_harmony7_d1956eac17.webp 800w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/model_city_peace_harmony7_d1956eac17.webp 800w," sizes="100vw"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/model_city_peace_harmony8_105ac218d4.webp" alt="model-city-peace-harmony8.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_model_city_peace_harmony8_105ac218d4.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_model_city_peace_harmony8_105ac218d4.webp 603w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/model_city_peace_harmony8_105ac218d4.webp 603w," sizes="100vw"><h4 style="text-align:justify;">Examples of positive outcomes of our initiatives:</h4>Toowoomba was designated a “Safe City” in May 2018.A research project undertaken by Deakin University on “How Religious and Social Harmony Thrives in Toowoomba” made special mention in the finding that Toowoomba is the only city that has a working mechanism in place to bring religions together.Attachment of an intern from Harvard University to look at our programs and activities that inspires religious and social harmony.Finalist in 2018 State of Queensland Multicultural Award.Inspired and assisted in the opening of a Multi Faith and Cultural Dialogue Center in the Shire of Moreton Bay by the Abbey of St Michael’s Church.Publication of the 360 Sayings of the Scriptures of 10 main religions.Publication of 360 Words of WisdomAcceptance of having a common prayer or affirmation by religious and community groups, which is read at services, functions, and on Australia Day.A radio program on customs, beliefs, and cultures aired every Friday and Sunday over our community station 102.7FM. The program is into its tenth year on air.The formation of the Venerable Community Group headed by the Executive Director, Toowoomba Base Hospital, in response to managing the Covid-19 pandemic. Thirty-five government and community organizations met via zoom every Wednesday to share resources and support.Establishment of an advisory board made up of academics from Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, and Australia that advises and provides direction for our agenda.Pastoral care that provides support for families of different beliefs and practices.Winner of “Community Group of the Year,” Australia Day Award Local Region 2022.Defusing of tensions and conflicts, with two documented case studies.<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/model_city_peace_harmony9_28cc6cb901.webp" alt="model-city-peace-harmony9.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_model_city_peace_harmony9_28cc6cb901.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_model_city_peace_harmony9_28cc6cb901.webp 800w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/model_city_peace_harmony9_28cc6cb901.webp 800w," sizes="100vw"><hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Photographs and diagrams from PURE LAND</h4><hr>&nbsp;

A model city of peace and harmony

Myrian Castello is from Minas Gerais, Brazil. She’s an entrepreneur and a silent change maker. As the co-founder of Fábrica dos Sonhos and the International Right to Dream Movement, she’s making sure people do not give up on their right to dream.

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Myrian Castello

Dreams: Our birth right

N. Divya

Nancy is a Tanzanian author, businesswoman and social entrepreneur. She is the Managing Director of Bongo5 Media Group Ltd, the Executive Director of The Neghesti Sumari Foundation and The Jenga Hub, as well as a published author of the children’s book series, Nyota Yako. In 2017, Africa Youth Awards named her among the 100 Most Influential Young Africans.

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NANCY SUMARI

<h4>NANCY SUMARI, former Miss Tanzania and Miss World (Africa), is also a published
 author of children’s books, a businesswoman and social entrepreneur. Here she speaks with PURNIMA RAMAKRISHNAN as part of the GLOW Webinar series, on her roots, being crowned
 Miss World (Africa), her work with children and youth, and the role of the heart.</h4>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
Q: In 2017, Africa’s Youth Awards named you one of the 100
 Most Influential Africans. You are a business graduate from the University of Dar es Salaam and the managing
 director of Bongo5 Media Group Ltd, which focuses on digital media creation. You are the founder and the executive
 director of The Neghesti Sumari Foundation and the Jenga Hub that runs programs to teach kids from marginalized
 backgrounds how to do software coding. You are interested in improving the state of your community by working
 towards digital literacy for all. And your foundation has transformed learning outcomes for youth and little
 children through its digital literacy programs and applying design making methodology to create value. Welcome
 Nancy.
NS: Thank you so much for having me, this is a
 great honor.
Q: Likewise. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

NS: I’m the third-born of five children. One of my
 parents is a farmer and the other runs her own hotel business, she’s into catering. I had a very interesting
 childhood, I grew up on a farm and as you can imagine it was full of adventure, mischief, joy and love. My parents
 were very keen for us to get a good education, and to also grow up in a close-knit loving family. I have very fond
 memories of my childhood.
Beyond that, I went to school in Kenya, graduated from high school and came back to
 Tanzania, and did my bachelor’s degree here in Business. I hope to still continue with my studies at some point, soon
 hopefully. I’m married with a daughter who’s wonderful. I feel like I’ve had an interesting journey so far, and I’m
 very thankful for that. But I often reflect and feel that it’s almost like an out-of-body experience where I couldn’t
 imagine having the love that I have right now and the work that I’m doing, the opportunity to meet people. To offer
 what I have been given throughout my life is something I’m very thankful for.
Q: Thank you. What was it like going from a beauty queen
 to a philanthropist working for the education of children? Can you tell us a little bit about that journey?

NS:&nbsp;I think the journey through the beauty
 pageant was almost by chance. It was an opportunity that just happened to me. I suppose it was meant to be part of my
 journey, but it was a very big surprise, because I had just finished high school and I was hoping to pursue my
 university education at that point in time. By chance, at a local restaurant here in Dar es Salaam, I met a young lady
 who felt that I should be part of the competition, that it was a great opportunity. It felt like it was an
 opportunity, and when an opportunity comes knocking, I’ve always been one to make the most of it, so I did.
But beyond the beauty pageant, which was great and left a big mark on my life, I’ve
 always felt that it was my purpose to give back as much as I have been given. There have been many opportunities where
 people held my hand, where people helped me. A lot of people were there for me through my journey, to help me to be
 the best that I could be. They saw the potential in me. So giving back through the work that I do comes naturally –
 the same way people have been there for me, I feel I should be there for others, and be there meaningfully. That’s why
 our work in providing and widening the education emphasis in Tanzania is very important; education will unlock the
 potential in young people, so that’s what I want to work very hard at.
<img class="lazyload img-float-left has-img-center-in-mobile"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Mediocrity2_d77aabee2f.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T03:34:02.173Z">

Q: Can you tell us a little bit about the initiative of
 transforming children, and of transforming the ways of education in Tanzania?
NS: The education system in Tanzania has a lot of
 challenges, everything from an outdated curriculum to not having well enough trained teachers, to the overall
 infrastructure. So, we thought to do something meaningful and long-term, but also to be more future-ready, and so we
 started programs that will empower and equip children with the skills and knowledge necessary in an ever transforming
 technological world. And so, our programs are focused primarily on giving children these very important skills, as we
 continue to work towards the fourth industrial revolution. Thus, although they go to school with a curriculum that is
 outdated, they are able to gain skills through our hub and its program to allow them to be a lot more competitive.
 They are able to take advantage of the opportunities in the technological industry and sector, and then come up with
 ideas of value to serve their communities.
<hr>
<h5 style="text-align: center;">It’s about character building, 
 it’s about building self, 
 about training children through values, 
 like being respectful, honorable, loving, 
 caring, being of service, 
 and knowing who they are and 
 reflecting that to the world.
</h5>
<hr>
Q: How have you been able to make this difference for
 children? What do you think is the key factor which can help them in decision-making and wisdom?
NS: I think we try to have a more holistic
 approach. It’s not just about technology, because that’s not enough. It’s also about character building, it’s about
 building self, about training children through values like being respectful, honorable, loving, caring, being of
 service, and knowing who they are and reflecting that to the world. I think what sets us apart is the fact that we pay
 extra attention to character building, and I feel that is quite important in today’s world to be able to build self,
 and acknowledge self, and another person. We have a saying here – it’s from South Africa but it’s also applied here a
 lot, and it is the spirit of Ubuntu. It speaks of the fact that you are able to see yourself in someone else or,
 rather, you able to see someone and empathize and acknowledge them, their self and their spirit, and just be equal in
 that sense. I think we’re moving more than ever into machines and artificial intelligence and robots, but it’s really
 important to focus back on ourselves. This is especially so with children and young people who will be the force in
 the next generation. I think it’s very important to instill these values in them.
Q: What do you think is the role of the heart in
 transforming a child’s growing process, in transforming the learning or educational initiatives?
NS: To be honest, everything starts from the heart,
 everything emanates from the heart and the soul. I think the heart plays a central key role in learning overall, in
 seeing our place in the world and what our world means. I think the heart is a window and a reflection of the world,
 and what the world is to us and what we are putting out into the world. A lot of the time, people are not able to be
 intentional enough when it comes to matters of the heart and learning, or feeding the heart. It plays a central and
 crucial role in learning, and definitely requires us to break down those walls and be able to approach learning and
 each other more from the heart. I think that would change the world, to be honest.
<img class="lazyload w-100"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Mediocrity3_730fae2733.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T03:34:58.781Z" />

Q: How do you think children can be encouraged to use
 their heart as often as possible; how can we help them to learn this art of using the heart?
NS: I think we can definitely practice a lot more.
 Children look at the older generation as a mirror, like an oracle, and the more they see us applying this, constantly
 and consistently, that is one way to do it. It’s like parenting – when a child is growing up, the first people they
 look up to are the immediate family surrounding them. These types of habits begin in the home, so I feel that is the
 game-changer right there – the importance of the role of the heart in the home, in the family. Then we move beyond
 that to schools, to education institutions on all levels, and to governments, to how we lead our people. I feel it
 will be a multiplying butterfly effect. But it really does begin in the home. That is the most powerful place where
 values are instilled, where behavior is taught, and where love is shared.
Then it multiplies to all other areas of our lives, but it begins at home. We can all
 have a role to play when it comes to leading with the heart, teaching from the heart, and learning and feeding our
 heart when we are around our children and our young people. Then it will take hold. For now perhaps it can start in
 all corners where people who believe in it can start small and then multiply and take the effect within our circle of
 empathy.
Q: When we look at our society today, we are becoming more
 and more dispersed. Single parenting is on the rise, parents are not together in many families, and even when they
 are together they have very little time with their children because both are working. Even the role of grandparents
 is becoming less these days. We no longer have families with uncles and aunties around, the joint family has broken
 down or vanished completely, and we are moving towards the nuclear family and single parenting. Such is our age.
 When we speak about the family, the home being the center, where the role of the heart is nurtured, children spend
 more time in day care, in school where other people are primary care givers. So, how can teachers or the school
 impart this, when it cannot happen at home?
NS: I feel that we can utilize a lot of these
 platforms that young people access. Reaching out to teachers is very important, like you mentioned, because a teacher
 can use the first or the last five minutes of class to simply share whatever is going on in the heart, or hear from
 other people’s hearts. We are able to reach out to a lot of religious institutions as well, for instance, here we have
 a lot of families going to the mosque, to church, and to the temple. They all preach about the heart but perhaps to
 break down the silos and have a more relatable approach is also important. It can be styled in a manner which young
 people find a lot more relevant. It needs to be dynamic, it needs to be true to our time, and it needs to be
 reflective. It could be available on a platform that young people access, like Instagram or Facebook, or these social
 platforms that have a lot of traffic of young people. It can be packaged in a way that they will find interesting and
 then, before you know it, it’s cool, and it’s being applied, and it sticks, and it goes on and on from there.
<img class="lazyload w-100"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Mediocrity5_e7706aadca.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T03:37:11.078Z" />

Q: How can this role of the heart help in breaking free
 from mediocrity to greatness?
NS: I would say it starts with our own self. I
 think mediocrity stems from the fact that we are not able to believe in ourselves, be ourselves, and take advantage of
 our own purpose, our own journey. The role of the heart plays a central role for staying true to our self, staying
 true to our purpose, and following our calling. That ultimately takes us then from mediocrity and elevates us all the
 way into greatness, because there is nothing greater than being able to walk our own path, heed our own calling and be
 the highest, truest expression of ourselves, of who we are meant to be in this world. I think being mediocre is
 turning away from that, turning away from the journey and applying something that does not necessarily fit you. I feel
 that the only way is to switch back from that entirely and take heed of one’s heart.
Q: Thank you Nancy for joining us and for your inspiring
 story.
NS: Thank you.
<hr>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Interviewed by PURNIMA RAMAKRISHNAN</h4>
<hr>

From mediocrity to greatness

Naomi is the author of Raising Our Children, Raising Ourselves, and one of the leading parenting guides in the world today. She has been featured in the media internationally, and guides parents but about how to have peace without control so that children do their best, not because they fear us or seek our approval but because they want to. Her SALVE communication formula has been praised as providing the best of the work of Byron Katie and Nonviolent Communication combined and more.

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Naomi Aldort

<h4
 id="h-naomi-aldort-is-the-author-of-raising-our-children-raising-ourselves-published-in-nineteen-different-languages-she-guides-parents-via-phone-skype-and-workshops-internationally-bringing-peace-and-clarity-to-both-difficult-situations-and-everyday-family-issues-including-marriage-pregnancy-birth-diet-and-lifestyle-and-child-development-for-children-of-all-ages-her-s-a-l-v-e-communication-formula-has-been-praised-as-providing-the-best-of-the-work-of-byron-katie-and-nonviolent-communication-combined-in-this-exclusive-interview-with-lakshmi-aravind-naomi-shares-her-wisdom-on-how-we-can-raise-emotionally-resilient-well-adjusted-authentic-children">
 NAOMI ALDORT is the author of Raising Our
 Children, Raising Ourselves,
 published in nineteen different languages. She guides parents via phone,
 Skype and workshops internationally, bringing peace and clarity to both
 difficult situations and everyday family issues, including marriage,
 pregnancy, birth, diet and lifestyle, and child development for children of
 all ages. Her S.A.L.V.E. communication formula has been praised as providing
 the best of the work of Byron Katie and Nonviolent Communication combined.
 In this exclusive interview with
 LAKSHMI ARAVIND, Naomi shares her wisdom on how we
 can raise emotionally resilient,
 well-adjusted, authentic children.
</h4>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />


 Q: All kids encounter stress in their lives to varying
 degrees, and despite
 our best efforts as parents we can’t always protect them. Kids get sick,
 they have to move schools and environments, deal with bullies, cyber
 bullies, exams and tests. They may face family breakups and grief due to
 loss. On top of all this, we also live in a fast-paced world, where we want
 quick solutions to problems. But this is the time to pause and think of how
 we can do the best for our children.



 Naomi, welcome and how are you today?



 NA: I’m doing
 well, thank you, and I’m delighted to be here with you.



 Q: Awesome, so let’s get started. The first question is: What
 are the basic
 tenets of your philosophy for raising children, and why emotionally
 resilient?



 NA: Where I
 depart from the mainstream way of parenting is that I am not into shaping
 children and making them. I hold children as creation (if you’re religious
 that means God, otherwise Nature) and they are perfect creations just as they
 are. So my whole approach is about allowing children to be rooted in
 themselves rather than in what we want for them. Parents want children to
 learn this, to be there, to sleep in their own room; all this “wanting” for
 our children. We cannot chew food for another person, we cannot breathe for
 another person, and likewise we cannot want for another person. A baby is a
 time bomb. It’s a grown-up in a small body with its potential not yet
 unfolded. We need to know the limitations, but we need to respect them like we
 respect God. This is not our making.



 So that’s the main difference in my philosophy. It’s not permissiveness, it’s
 not license. We still need to guide and be leaders, but we need to be leaders
 who enable children to unfold who they already are.



 I always use the analogy of watering a flower so it will bloom – not so that
 it blooms your way, your color, or to your timing. It’s already in the design.
 They’re going to walk at a certain time, they’re going to talk at a certain
 time, they’re going to sleep by themselves at a certain time, they’re going to
 read at a certain time – anytime between age four and thirteen or fourteen. It
 makes no difference later on. Whether children learn to walk at one or two, we
 all learned to walk at different times and talk at different times. Einstein
 didn’t talk until he was four. What difference does it make once we’re
 unfolding ourselves into adults? And in terms of resilience, again, with the
 utmost reverence and spiritual recognition of who a baby, a child, a human
 being is, they are born resilient.


<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<div>
 <figure>
 <img alt="how-to-raise-emotionally-resilient-children-part-1" class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/emotionally_resilient_children2_dc11a5b2ce.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T04:10:19.456Z" />
 </figure>
</div>
<hr class="vertical-space1" />

 Our job is not to ruin that. And unfortunately, we ruin it a lot. We get in
 the way, and then, when it’s ruined and things aren’t going well, we ask,
 “Gee, what do we do? Our child is doing this.” And then we are convinced that
 we have to shape them because we unshaped them to a point where it’s not
 working. My teaching is about nurturing who is already there, not shaping
 them; watering the flowers, not painting the color of the petals or telling
 them when to come out.



 Let me say a little bit about how we do harm. What do we do? Well, we’re
 taking the inner power of the child and we’re destroying it in many ways. We
 give messages to children that their inner voices are somehow wrong. They have
 to do what we say, not what they say to themselves. It starts in babyhood –
 that’s why I always say that everything I teach is from babyhood to adulthood,
 because it’s the same principle.



 So many parents ask me, “How do I get my child to move out of the family bed?”
 – if they even sleep with the child. And I say, “Well, if you have to trick
 them and make them go to their own bed, then they’re not ready.” You’re
 teaching them not to listen to their own voice.



 Then they tell me, “Well, to be independent, don’t they need to sleep by
 themselves and soothe themselves?” I say, “No. You’re not sleeping right
 yourself. You’re not soothing yourself. You go for therapy if you’re really
 upset, or to your friends. Why should a baby, who is scared to death for
 survival, or a young child, sleep by themselves? And when you give them the
 message, ‘You should sleep by yourself,’ even though they feel inside, ‘I want
 to sleep next to mommy and daddy,’ then you’re telling them, ‘Don’t listen to
 yourself.’ And that kills self-confidence, that kills the self, because we
 constantly tell them how they feel inside is wrong.”


<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<div>
 <figure>
 <img width="377" height="533" alt="how-to-raise-emotionally-resilient-children-part-1" class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/emotionally_resilient_children3_693ac37925.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T04:03:42.039Z" />
 </figure>
</div>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<hr />

<h5 class="has-text-align-center">
 In terms of resilience, again, with the utmost reverence
 and
 spiritual recognition of who a baby, a child, a human being is, they
 are born resilient.
</h5>

<hr />

<hr class="vertical-space1" />


 And another way we kill resilience is by distracting babies and young children
 from suffering. It is almost contradictory. On one hand, we tell them that
 they shouldn’t suffer. On the other hand, we cause the suffering when we put
 them to sleep somewhere else and tell them, “Hey, put up with it!” That
 stresses them because it is a primal need. Then, when they have suffering that
 is not a primal need – they don’t get their candy, their friend isn’t playing
 with them anymore, later on their girlfriend/boyfriend leaves them – then we
 try to distract them. We start with babies; when a baby cries, we say, “Look
 here, look there!” or “Here, play with this!” and we tell them, “Hey, you know
 you can handle suffering, you can handle pain.”



 I teach the opposite. Meet your baby’s needs, be kind with your teenager, and
 with all ages, but sometimes life offers challenges. Sometimes there is
 suffering. Grandma does die. Uncle cancels his visit. Toys break. Friends
 won’t always play with them. So, I always tell parents that instead of fixing
 everything – which tells children that they can’t handle it, and that weakens
 them – let them know that it’s all right. Validate their feeling.



 Let’s say a child comes out of a room full of children and says, “They won’t
 play with me. They told me to leave,” most parents say, “Oh no! Let’s go in
 and I’ll fix it for you.” The parent talks to the other children: “What
 happened? Please be inclusive,” and what is the child learning? “I’m weak and
 dependent, and I need the adult to come and rescue me so that I get what I
 want.”


<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<div>
 <figure>
 <img width="377" height="533" alt="how-to-raise-emotionally-resilient-children-part-1" class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/emotionally_resilient_children4_54b9a2f56d.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T04:04:53.213Z" />
 </figure>
</div>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />


 Now the response I advocate, when the child comes out of the room saying,
 “They won’t play with me. They told me to leave,” is, “Oh, you want to talk
 about how that’s feeling?” Maybe they’re crying. After they express their
 feelings (and sometimes they don’t express much because they look for “What am
 I supposed to feel?” from the parent), I would just say, “Okay, what would you
 like to do instead?



 Would you like to help me in the kitchen? I’m making lunch,” or “Would you
 like to sit here? I have some nice books and puzzles here.”



 If it’s not my own child, but a guest, I would say, “Would you like me to call
 your mom to pick you up?” I’m letting the child know that they can handle the
 fact that the others are not playing with them. I don’t ask, “What did you do
 that they’re not playing with you?” That’s blame and shame. Definitely not a
 good idea.



 I don’t make it seem like it’s a big problem, but if it is a problem for them,
 I listen. “Tell me, I see you wanted to play so badly, so do you want to tell
 me how you feel about it?” I listen to them. Then, the next step is, “I
 understand how you feel. What would you like to do instead?”


<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<hr />

<h5 class="has-text-align-center">
 I always tell parents that instead of fixing everything
 – which tells
 children that they can’t handle it, and that weakens them – let
 them know that it’s all right. Validate their feeling.
</h5>

<hr />

<hr class="vertical-space1" />


 We often teach them to want things, and we teach them to always get what they
 want. Then they can’t handle not getting what they want. We say, “No, don’t
 call him stupid! It will hurt his feelings.” We’re teaching them to be weak
 and to be hurt. When I see a child calling another child “stupid,” I say, “Me
 too!” and I give an example of how I’m stupid. Then they learn to accept.



 It’s like the Zen story, “Without Blinking an Eye.” I’ll tell the short
 version. It’s about the General of an army in Japan that is going from village
 to village killing everyone. Most people run away and escape. He comes to one
 village, and he’s told by his soldiers that the Zen master at the top of the
 hill in the monastery hasn’t escaped. The general is enraged: “How come?
 Doesn’t he know who I am?”



 So he goes up to the monastery, looks at the little old man and says, “How
 dare you! Don’t you know who I am? I could run you through with my sword
 without blinking an eye!”And the little Zen master says, “ And do you
 know who I am? Someone who can have your sword go through me without blinking
 an eye.”



 Can we raise children to hear bad words – the sword, the criticism – with
 gratitude? When somebody criticizes them and calls them names, can they say,
 “Tell me more”? There is nothing we don’t have. We may be generous, but we’ve
 been greedy. We may smell good, but we’ve been stinky. We may be peaceful, but
 we’ve been angry at some time. It’s like, “Tell me more. I’m learning.
 Everyone is a teacher for me.”



 We are teaching to “wants” and teaching children to defend themselves and to
 think that they’re always good. We are teaching instant gratification. We are
 teaching by distraction – “Here, here, have some ice cream, it will help you
 forget about what happened with the other kid.” We are teaching children to
 run away from suffering. Also, we are praising, creating a need for children
 to seek approval all the time, rather than being themselves.



 We teach them to run away from the self, which creates insecurity and low
 self-esteem. And we run them toward success – everybody has to know so much.
 And we put them on the competitive mill to be successful, to have money, to
 have a profession, to be the best. And then they are afraid and develop
 anxiety, anxiety to please others, anxiety not to be oneself, to avoid what
 they really want and feel inside, and to do all this stuff that is expected of
 them. That’s very anxiety-provoking, because it’s easy to be oneself, but it’s
 very hard to read other people and please them.


<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<div>
 <figure>
 <img width="377" height="533" alt="how-to-raise-emotionally-resilient-children-part-1" class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/emotionally_resilient_children5_f7573245f1.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T04:06:17.530Z" />
 </figure>
 </div>

 <hr class="vertical-space1" />

 
 Q: I think we all need to hear that. I’m one of those
 parents who used to
 step in and fix it for them right away. And we don’t realize how hurtful it
 can be for our children in the long run. We’re really not teaching them to
 be resilient. As you say, we have already destroyed their resilience, and
 somehow we have to undo all that.
 

 
 We live in a world where there’s immediate gratification,
 and all the time
 we want to give the best to our children. We don’t want them to get hurt at
 all. In a world where there’s constant comfort and stimulation, what can we
 do about that?
 

 
 NA: To teach
 emotional resilience, we have to not unteach it, because they already have it.
 Look at babies, who behave like they’re the most deserving creatures on Earth.
 A little discomfort and they cry. They want to nurse and they tell you. You
 put them to sleep somewhere else, they scream. It’s very clear that they’re
 resilient, they can handle it, they can express feelings, and they can handle
 life and our mistakes, too.
 

 
 But to teach emotional resilience, we need to avoid teaching them to be
 triggered. Like what I said before, instead of teaching them that name calling
 is a bad thing, ask them to find how it’s true for them. Teach them not to be
 defensive. We teach them by modeling. If our spouse tells us, “Hey, you’re
 lazy,” or “You did this or that,” what is our automated reaction? “No, I’m
 not! No, that’s not what happened.” What I teach to create resilience is,
 “Yes, I am.”
 

 
 I actually teach healing games where members of the family get together and,
 through games, through play therapy, learn to accept when somebody criticizes
 them or calls them a name. We need to stop blaming others, making all this
 justice thing, which is part of why people are so emotionally weak. Take
 sibling rivalry, for example: “Mommy says I am wrong.” Don’t ever take sides.
 Just listen to each one and help them find the solution simply by listening to
 them. You don’t ever have to fix things. They solve it themselves. When you
 come into their room and they’re fighting, listen to each one of them until
 they’re done. Let each one tell their side, and when the other interrupts and
 says, “No, that’s not what happened,” I say, “Wait till she’s done, and then
 you’ll tell what happened to you.” I don’t ever take sides.
 

 <hr class="vertical-space1" />

 <hr />

 <h5 class="has-text-align-center">
 To teach emotional resilience, we need to avoid
 teaching them to be
 triggered. Like what I said before, instead of teaching them
 that name calling is a bad thing, ask them to find how it’s true
 for them. Teach them not to be defensive. We teach them by
 modeling.
 </h5>

 <hr />

 <hr class="vertical-space1" />

 <div>
 <figure>
 <img width="377" height="533" alt="how-to-raise-emotionally-resilient-children-part-1" class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/emotionally_resilient_children6_b52e559292.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T04:08:53.014Z" />
 </figure>
 </div>

 <hr class="vertical-space1" />

 
 Another way to help children to be strong is to let them find their own
 solutions and express themselves. The first chapter in my book talks about
 self-expression. But the main thing is that we’re killing strength through the
 constant need for approval, by expecting children to live based on external
 rewards, praise and grades. In order to enable inner peace, children need to
 be rooted in themselves, responsible for creating their own inner joy, no
 matter what another person is saying about them. That’s true power.
 

 <hr class="vertical-space1" />

 To be continued.

 <hr class="vertical-space1" />

 <hr />

 <h4 class="has-text-align-center">Interviewed by LAKSHMI ARAVIND</h4>

 <hr />

How to raise emotionally resilient children - Part 1

Narendra lives in California and is an avid Raja Yoga practitioner. He is the co-founder and CEO of Global Touchpoints, and is involved in Real Time Analytics. One of two identical twins, he believes in spiritual, emotional, mental and physical balance. He loves music, writing and sketching. His illustrations have been rendered in the book Karmic Rhapsody, authored by his daughter. www.facebook.com/4artfulness kininaren.wordpress.com

naren.jpg

Narendra Kini

<h4 style="text-align: justify;">NARENDRA KINI is an artist among other things. He
 shares with us his own experience of creating, and what helps him most.</h4>

What inspires minds?
What triggers creativity?
What persists in a creatively inspired mind?
Several folks have shared their perspectives on some or all of these questions. Among
 the inspiring minds are novelists, poets, playwrights, painters, philosophers, scientists and mathematicians. They
 describe how they subtly manoeuvre in order to overcome the obstacles and daily routines so that they can complete
 the work they love.
It may be by waking early or staying up late; skipping mundane distractions or attending
 events that motivate them; drinking vast quantities of coffee; taking long daily walks; or just sitting in
 meditation, like I do. When I divert my attention inward where it probably truly belongs, that which resides inside
 seems to manifest itself.
Surprisingly the manifestation is profound.


<hr>

<h4 style="text-align: center;">Practice feeds inspiration. 
 Once we commit to doing something creatively,
 we draw inspiration for that work from around us.
</h4>

<hr>
<img class="img-float-right has-img-center-in-mobile"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/the_heart_of_the_matter_2_587eb04523.jpg?updated_at=2023-03-29T10:37:56.006Z"
 alt="self-being" width="249" height="222">My experience gives me belief in two things: the
 10,000 hours of practice that Malcolm Gladwell writes about in his book, Outliers, and disciplining the
 mind. Interestingly, when you combine both, meditation ensures that my mind is regulated and able to direct itself
 to perform a committed task within an allocated time, and discipline channels my creative energy to that activity I
 have committed to. Unusual as it may seem, everything comes to me – ideas, inspiration, motivation, clarity in
 thinking – during my committed practice of meditation. I will be the first one to admit that I did not get there
 overnight. Over twenty years of practice has probably helped. I am yet to reach the proverbial 10,000 hours that
 Malcolm Gladwell writes about, yet I cannot deny the benefits that are already obvious in most walks of my life:
 calmness within, filtering the clutter to take a decision, resting well without nightmares or restlessness,
 responding to situations instead of reacting, etc. These are very natural outcomes of my meditation practice.
To some extent creative work is no different than training in the gym. You can’t
 selectively choose your best moments and decide to only work on the days when you have great ideas. There certainly
 are those magic moments – which also surface during meditation – but the only way to unveil the great ideas inside
 is to make a commitment and show up over and over again. Set the time, set the schedule, and preferably set the
 place and environment.
It is easy to start judging your own work and convince yourself not to share something,
 not publish something, and not market something because “it isn’t good enough yet,” but the alternative is even
 worse. If we don’t have a schedule forcing us to deliver, then it is easy to avoid undertaking the work itself. The
 only way to be consistent enough to make a masterpiece is to give permission to create something along the way –
 feed that creative instinct, do not starve it.

<img class="has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/the_heart_of_the_matter_3_8348d867d3.jpg?updated_at=2023-03-29T10:38:48.429Z"
 alt="The Heart of the Matter">

Sincere practitioners in any field don’t just work harder than everybody else. At some
 point they fall in love with their practice to the point where they want to do better in less time, more in the same
 time, and generally excel.
It is true in any profession. The elite football player is the guy who spends all day on
 the practice field with his teammates, and after practice he goes home to watch game films. The elite physician
 listens to medical podcasts during a long commute. The elites are in love with what they do, and it does not feel
 like work.
This leads to the other benefit of discipline and practice. Practice feeds inspiration.
 Once we commit to doing something creatively, we draw inspiration for that work from around us. We coach our minds
 to be aware, conscious and mindful about aspects in the moment that could feed our creativity. During my initial
 work, I drew inspiration from the spiritual images and personalities that influenced me greatly in my journey to
 ‘inside-out transformation’.&nbsp;Gradually the canvas widened, and the themes changed. I find subjects in events,
 happenings, award-winning&nbsp;photographs, life moments and nature.
I try to celebrate significant days like birthdays, anniversaries and other events
 through my sketches and share them. I have realised that it has become a way for me to share love – genuine love –
 albeit through my art. So, what is the common denominator for me? In short it is the heart. I can commit, schedule,
 discipline, channel and nurture my mind, but only when my heart is in the right place does it become the origin and
 abode of my creativity and inspiration; hence, the source of joy, love and contentment. Once that is okay, any
 creativity that feeds to that sentiment draws inspiration from within and without.


<hr>

<h4 style="text-align: center;">Article and drawings by NARENDRA KINI</h4>

<hr>

The heart of the matter

<h5>
 NARENDRA KINI asks some thought provoking questions about beauty and the
 way we see ourselves.
</h5>
<hr class="vertical-space1" />

 Inner beauty always reflects on the outside. This is something we have all
 heard time and again. But then, do we spend less time in front of the
 mirror? Do we still pay attention to outward appearances and draw a lot of
 conclusions based on those? We have not stopped making external
 appearances a topic of conversation at most social gatherings – business
 or otherwise. We still spend a lot of time getting ready for an event,
 office, function or a party.


 Roald Dahl wrote, “You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a
 double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts it will
 shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look
 lovely.”&nbsp; This makes me wonder what it would be like if the way we
 lived reflected in our looks. Perhaps we would all try harder to be better
 people.


 What if one day our inner self and physical self were turned inside out?
 How would that impact our looks and confidence? Would most of us be able
 to come to terms with what we see?

<hr />
<h4 style="text-align: center">
 Roald Dahl wrote, 
 “You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and 
 a double chin and stick-out teeth, 
 but if you have good thoughts 
 it will shine out of your face like sunbeams 
 and you will always look lovely.”
</h4>
<hr />

 If we were to develop a visible scar on our skin for every ill intention
 or negative thought, would we continue to 
 have such thoughts?


 If we would lose clumps of hair every time we were mean, would it stop us?


 If every time we hurt someone intentionally it added a few pounds to our
 weight, would we still do it?


 Per contra, what if every time we teach a child or feed the needy, or show
 kindness, we drop some weight around our waist or grow back some hair or
 lose a wrinkle, would we be more willing?


 If taking the time to answer children’s questions or helping senior
 citizens needing assistance could reduce signs of ageing, maybe we all
 would develop patience and kindness.


 Looking good has become so important to us that it could inspire us to
 take steps that we usually would not consider.


 Maybe if we lived our lives the way Dahl suggests we would be very
 different people. I wonder how radically different our priorities,
 decisions and personalities would be in a world where doing good is
 rewarded so visibly and tangibly that it becomes second nature.

<hr />
<h4 style="text-align: center">
 So it is with our lives. 
 Those who want to live meaningfully 
 and well must help enrich the lives of others, 
 for the value of a life is measured by the lives it touches. 
 The quality of response and joy 
 depends on the quality of thoughts 
 and love we share and spread.
</h4>
<hr />

 Often I look in the mirror and wonder if I can confidently say my inner
 self is better than my reflection.


 Am I almost at a point where I do not have to look at it to check myself
 for anything more than the necessary daily activities like shaving,
 flossing and combing?


 There is a short story that could lend its moral to nature’s way of
 working when we are able to see good thoughts and share good thoughts for
 others also to seed.


 <img decoding="async" width="461" class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/inner_beauty_img2_49188eb7e1.jpg?updated_at=2023-03-29T12:27:08.535Z">


 There was a farmer who grew excellent quality corn. Every year he won the
 award for the best corn. One year a newspaper reporter interviewed him and
 learned something interesting about how he grew it. The reporter
 discovered that the farmer shared his seeds with his neighbours.


 “How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbours when
 they are entering in competition with yours each year?” the reporter
 asked.


 “Why sir,” said the farmer, “Don’t you know? The wind picks up pollen from
 the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbours grow
 inferior corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my
 corn. If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbours grow good
 corn.”


 So it is with our lives. Those who want to live meaningfully and well must
 help enrich the lives of others, for the value of a life is measured by
 the lives it touches. The quality of response and joy depends on the
 quality of thoughts and love we share and spread.


 And those who choose to be joyful must help others find happiness, for the
 welfare of each is bound up with the welfare of all.

<hr />
<h4 style="text-align: center">Article and artwork by NARENDRA KINI</h4>
<hr />

Inner Beauty

<h4 style="text-align: center">AN ART ESSAY</h4>

 The Buddha said: These four are the foodstuffs, ye bhikkus,
 which sustain the creatures that are born, and benefit the creatures
 that seek rebirth. The first is edible food, coarse or fine; touch is
 the second; the thinking capacity of the mind is the third; and the
 fourth is consciousness.


 <img
 class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/bhikkumonks2_8d1ea2d7ca.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T11:05:29.208Z"
 alt="bhikkumonks2"
 />


 Understand that you own nothing; everything that surrounds you is
 temporary; only the love in your heart will last forever.


 Whatever is not yours, let go of it. Your letting go will be for your
 long-term benefit and happiness.


 <img
 class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/bhikkumonks3_0811044985.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T11:06:02.426Z"
 alt="bhikkumonks3"
 />

<hr />
<h4 style="text-align: center">Art and article by NAREN KINI</h4>
<hr />

Bhikku monks

<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h3 style="text-align: center;">An Art Essay</h3>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h4>NARENDRA KINI integrates his work as a successful
 Silicon Valley-based entrepreneur with being an artist, a poet and a seeker of higher truth through meditative
 practices. He is currently the co-founder and CEO of Global Touchpoints, and here he talks of how he finds his
 inspiration for creativity and art.</h4>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h5 style="text-align: center;">Meditation is evolving from thinking to feeling, 
 from feeling to being, being to becoming, 
 and finally going beyond.” 
 — Daaji
</h5>
<img class="has-img-center lazyload" 
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/The_fountain_within2_392b3f76db.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-07T07:40:56.784Z" alt="The_fountain_within2"/>

<h5 style="text-align: center;">APPROACH</h5>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h4>Meditation inspires</h4>
I have found that my own approach to art is inspired by
 meditation. It is a process of letting go of control and allowing something to emerge. I took to art after I was
 inspired by an inner calling that happened after a meditation session about five years ago. 
The efficacy of a meditation practice can be also assessed
 by its impact on our attitude towards life. It provides us with a sense of perspective and creative freedom that
 is unmatched. Through invoking stillness in the mind and relocating our awareness center to the heart,
 meditation – within minutes – offers a blank canvas with a wide range of possibilities. “Writer’s block” and
 “artist’s cul-de-sac” are common terms. Creativity can get stumped and inspiration can dry up, and we often look
 for external sources to revive these things. This approach is sometimes successful, but I have found the real
 fan to the creative flame lies within us. And if we lose that spark, we may irreparably dry up our authentic
 sense of creative direction. A visit to the fountain within will rarely fail to quench the thirst for
 inspiration. My personal realization is that paying attention to the inner condition, being centered in
 stillness and contemplation enables the manifestation of creative work. It is not to say that the work will be
 perfect, but it will be truly your own. 
 
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<img class="has-img-center lazyload" 
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/The_fountain_within3_764761039f.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-07T07:42:57.234Z" alt="The_fountain_within3"/>

<h5 style="text-align: center;">CONSCIOUSNESS</h5>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
The way in which meditation liberates an artist’s creativity
 can be very nurturing to the soul. No matter how focused we are while working on art, no matter the physical
 environment we are in, if the mind is not steady and the body is not relaxed, very little is actually
 created. By turning inward, centering our awareness, and being heartful, we are free to express our own
 truth. Furthermore, we are able to trust ourselves and our innate creativity. 
Meditation is food for the soul and the very source of
 inspiration for my creativity. When under stress, inspiration can become elusive. A relaxed body and a calm mind
 provide us the opportunity to become observers of ourselves, pause with patience, and wait for an idea, image,
 or concept to germinate at the core of our being. This puts us in a “flow,” or a rhythm of sorts. While the
 ultimate purpose of meditation could be spiritual, a way to expand our consciousness, it can very well be a
 beautiful and simple way to tap into the limitless potential of our being.
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<img class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/The_fountain_within4_c40fce2b09.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-07T07:45:11.595Z" alt="The_fountain_within4"/>

<h5 style="text-align: center;">GURU &amp; GUITAR</h5>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h4>Inner inspiration</h4>
In his book, The Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell prescribes 10,000 hours of practice
 as the “magic number for true expertise.” Inspired by the idea behind this, I challenged myself to turn creating
 art into a habit. It is said, “Sow a habit and reap a destiny.” Now, I am not sure if I have gone that far, but
 I have certainly reaped a touch point. I like to think that the art I create is not just something to look at,
 but something that hopefully touches and inspires hearts. 
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<img class="has-img-center lazyload" 
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/The_fountain_within8_508428f5df.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-07T07:47:30.341Z" alt="The_fountain_within8"/>

<h5 style="text-align: center;">VIBRATIONS</h5>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
If anyone is on a creative journey – be it writing, sculpting, painting or singing – when
 we take silent time to meditate, a shift happens within. Our consciousness expands, our awareness deepens, and
 we come into the presence of what Albert Einstein described as the most beautiful emotion we can experience –
 the underlying power of all true art and science. Now, neuroscience is showing through brain mapping that such
 qualities are available to all who meditate regularly, creating the mental and emotional conditions in which
 they are most likely to flourish.
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h4>Inner guidance – intuition</h4>
Regular meditation, like the practice of Heartfulness, has the potential to help us get
 into a deep state each time, thereby strengthening our inner intuition and connection to the heart. The heart is
 where feelings reside, and connecting to it strengthens our sense of intuition. This intuition fans the creative
 spirit in us, guiding us to pursue the right idea or concept. When regular meditation is intensified, it becomes
 the very inner bedrock of spiritual confidence to progressively invest in a vocation. 
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<img class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/The_fountain_within5_82b10d7ca0.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-07T07:49:34.495Z" alt="The_fountain_within5" />

<h5 style="text-align: center;">TOWARD THE CENTER</h5>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h4>Inner true self – authenticity</h4>
Meditation helps us connect with the inner true self – the soul – awakening us to who we
 really are, independent of perception of the outer world. Meditation helps create a balance between the mind and
 the heart (soul), thus enabling us to birth creativity with equanimity and ease.
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<img class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/The_fountain_within6_a88fa137c3.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-07T07:52:03.134Z" alt="The_fountain_within6" />

<h5 style="text-align: center;">INNER LIGHT</h5>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h4>Inner cleaning – rejuvenation</h4>
When we open the gateway to our soul and nurture our inner
 self, a natural sense of grace ensues, and light becomes our very being. That aspect of our prana –
 that enlightened, elevated state – allows us to embrace the magnificent completeness of our being, despite its
 blemishes, limitations, fears, inadequacies, imperfections and other barriers. As we travel on our own
 yatra (journey), even with the simplest of meditation practices, true expression as an artist emerges.
 All we need is an open mind, an open heart and a willingness to explore our inner world. 
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<img
 class="lazyload mw-100"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/The_fountain_within7_70e14dcc74.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-07T07:52:44.591Z" alt="The_fountain_within7" />

<h5 style="text-align: center;">FIRE PURIFIES</h5>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
Meditation cleanses and nourishes the spirit. It helps us
 approach our empty canvas with an unbiased subconscious and enables us to arrive at calmness. Cleaning out our
 impressions at the end of each day enables us to remove past impressions – thoughts bound by emotions. It
 enables us to let go of feelings of fear, sadness, and anger, which can make us emotionally weak and unbalanced,
 in turn affecting our creative expression.
<hr class="vertical-space1">


<hr>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Article and art essay by NARENDRA KINI </h4>


<hr>

The fountain within

<hr class="vertical-space1" />
<h4>
 <spanundefined
 >NARENDRA KINI uses the simple analogy
 of a mechanical flywheel to help us understand the role of meditation in
 generating love and positive feelings.
</h4>
<hr class="vertical-space1" />

 <spanundefined
 >What is a flywheel? A flywheel is essentially a very heavy wheel that
 takes a lot of force to spin around. So, when it is spinning at high speed
 it tends to keep on spinning. We say it has a lot of angular momentum,
 which means it can store a great deal of kinetic energy. You can think of
 it as a kind of mechanical battery, but it is storing energy in the form
 of movement or kinetic energy.
 


 <spanundefined
 >How does this relate to the heart? For the purpose of this exercise:
 


 <spanundefined
 >Flywheel = Human heart 
 Angular Momentum = Intensity of meditation 
 Kinetic energy = Love or positive energy 
 Moment of inertia = I


 <spanundefined
 >“Moment of inertia” sounds abstract and confusing, but it’s much easier
 to understand than you might think. What it really means is that the
 effective mass of a spinning object depends not just on how much actual
 mass it has but on where that mass is located in relation to the point
 it’s spinning around.
 


 <spanundefined
 >In essence, when we go through our day at work, we have several
 distractions, resistances and negative energies that tend to play on our
 hearts and minds. If we are aware of the reservoir of positive energy
 (love), it can overcome the inertia and loss of positivity at work.


 <spanundefined
 >The most sophisticated flywheels float on superconducting magnets, so
 they spin almost entirely without friction. They are also sealed inside
 vacuum chambers, so there are no losses due to air resistance.
 


 <spanundefined
 >When we create a vacuum in our hearts, we attract, store, generate and
 expand more of this positive love energy. Essentially, we become a mobile
 love generator with an unlimited reservoir of positive energy.

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<hr />

<h5 style="text-align: center">
 <spanundefined style="color: #4812a1"
 >When we create a vacuum in our hearts, 
 we attract, store, generate and expand 
 more of this positive love energy. 
 Essentially, we become a mobile love generator 
 with an unlimited reservoir of positive energy.
</h5>

<hr />

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

 <img
 decoding="async"
 alt="heart-love-generator2"
 class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/heart_love_generator2_b98da17690.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-08T10:10:57.409Z"
 />

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

 <spanundefined
 >There are some other analogies about flywheels that we can apply to our
 situations:

<h4>
 <spanundefined
 >Create a balanced existence by letting the mind refer to the
 heart:
 
</h4>

 <spanundefined
 >A flywheel helps to smooth out the power the wheels receive. So, while
 the engine’s cylinder might add power to the flywheel every thirty
 seconds, the wheels can then take power from the flywheel at a steady
 continuous rate. The engine will roll smoothly instead of jerking along in
 fits and starts.

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

 <img
 decoding="async"
 alt="heart-love-generator3"
 class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/heart_love_generator3_93f194db90.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-08T10:14:04.842Z"
 />

<hr class="vertical-space1" />
<h4>
 <spanundefined
 >Use pauses to prevent domination of the mind over the heart:
 
</h4>

 <spanundefined
 >The flywheel can be used to slow down a vehicle, like a brake. As it
 does, energy is transferred from the vehicle to the flywheel, which picks
 up speed and keeps spinning. You can then disengage the flywheel to make
 the vehicle stop completely.

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<hr />

<h5 style="text-align: center">
 <spanundefined
 >If you take the flywheel (heart) 
 and spin it twice as fast 
 to double its angular velocity (double the intensity of
 meditation), 
 you’ll quadruple how much energy (love) it stores.
 
</h5>

<hr />

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

 <img
 decoding="async"
 alt="heart-love-generator4"
 class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/heart_love_generator4_e4d1fdc980.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-08T10:15:59.636Z"
 />

<hr class="vertical-space1" />
<h4>
 <spanundefined
 >Let the heart become a love energy generator:
 
</h4>

 <spanundefined
 >A flywheel can be used to provide temporary extra power when an engine
 can’t produce enough. Suppose you want to overtake a slow-moving horse and
 cart. Let’s say the flywheel has been spinning for some time but isn’t
 currently connected to either the engine or the wheels. When you reconnect
 it to the wheels, it provides extra power.


 <spanundefined
 >Now, if you take the flywheel (heart) and spin it twice as fast to double
 its angular velocity (double the intensity of meditation), you’ll
 quadruple how much energy (love) it stores.
 


 <spanundefined
 >That’s why flywheel designers (meditators) typically try to use
 high-speed wheels (regular practice) rather than a few long sessions. Even
 better, when the Inner Self directs our lives, the spinning continues
 non-stop, and we constantly generate love.

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<hr />

<h4 style="text-align: center">
 Article by
 <spanundefined
 >NARENDRA KINI <spanundefined
 >Illustrations by JASMEE RATHOD
</h4>

<hr />

Let your heart be a love generator

<hr class="vertical-space1">

 <img class="has-img-center lazyload" alt="threads-of-life"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/naren_part2_1something_a5905c40ba.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T12:02:27.148Z" />


<hr class="vertical-space1">

<h4 style="text-align: center;">Something</h4>
There is nothing like looking, if you want
 to find something. 
 You certainly usually find something, if you look, 
 but is not always quite the something you were after.
—J.R.R. Tolkien
<hr>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<img class="has-img-center lazyload" alt="threads-of-life"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/naren_part2_2_81a8d0f875.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T12:03:51.418Z" />

<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Fear</h4>
It is said that before entering the sea 
 a river trembles with fear.
She looks back at the path she has
 traveled, 
 from the peaks of the mountains, 
 the long winding road crossing forests and villages.
And in front of her, 
 she sees an ocean so vast, 
 that to enter 
 there seems nothing more than to disappear forever.
But there is no other way. 
 The river cannot go back.
Nobody can go back. 
 To go back is impossible in existence.
The river needs to take the risk 
 of entering the ocean 
 because only then will fear disappear, 
 because that’s where the river will know 
 it’s not about disappearing into the ocean, 
 but of becoming the ocean.
—Kahlil Gibran


<hr>
<hr class="vertical-space1">

 <img class="has-img-center lazyload" alt="threads-of-life"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/naren_part2_4_8ffe43cd59.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T12:05:03.963Z" />

<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Rivers</h4>
By the rivers of Babylon, where we sat
 down. 
 Yeah, we wept, when we remembered Zion. 
 …
Let the words of our mouth and the
 meditation of our heart, 
 be acceptable in thy sight here tonight.
—Boney M.


<hr>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<img class="has-img-center lazyload" alt="threads-of-life"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/naren_part2_5_adb1c703d5.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T12:06:20.010Z" />

<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Sorrow
 </h4>
Sorrow … It pulls up the rotten roots, 
 so that new roots hidden beneath 
 have room to grow. Whatever sorrow 
 shakes from your heart, far better 
 things will take their place. … Maybe 
 you are searching among the branches 
 for what only appears in the roots.
—Rumi


<hr>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<img class="has-img-center lazyload" alt="threads-of-life"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/naren_part2_6_ad95eb0289.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T12:07:43.686Z" />

<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Threads of life</h4>
O Servant of God, where do the Ida, Pingala
 and Sushumna nadis go when the thread of life breaks? 
 One who holds the thread is beyond time, but where does he live? 
 The thread is neither tied nor breaks. 
 Who is the master and who is the servant? 
 Only He knows his secret as He is the Eternal. 
 What is the warp [lengthwise threads] and what is the weft [cross threads]? 
 What are the threads from which the chadar [cloth] is woven? 
 Ida and Pingala are the warp and weft. 
 Sushumna are the threads from which the chadar is woven. 
 Eight are the Lotuses and ten are the spinning wheels. 
 Five are the elements and three the qualities of the chadar.
—Kabir


<hr>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<img class="has-img-center lazyload" alt="threads-of-life"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/naren_part2_7_e93946455c.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T12:09:07.804Z" />

<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Gathering </h4>
This is a gathering of Lovers. 
 In this gathering 
 there is no high, no low, 
 no smart, no ignorant, 
 no special assembly, 
 no grand discourse, 
 no proper schooling required. 
 There is no master, 
 no disciple.
—Rumi


<hr>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<img class="has-img-center lazyload" alt="threads-of-life"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/naren_part2_8_22eff1272e.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T12:09:56.168Z" />

<hr class="vertical-space1">

<h4 style="text-align: center;">Depths</h4>
You’ve been walking the ocean’s edge, 
 holding up your robes to keep them dry. 
 You must dive naked under, and deeper, 
 Under, a thousand times deeper! 
—Rumi

<hr class="vertical-space1">



<hr>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Art essay by NARENDRA KINI</h4>


<hr>

Threads of life

<h2 class="has-text-align-center">
 An Art Essay
</h2>

<hr />

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<div>
 <figure>
 <img width="500" height="610" alt="" class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/hope1bnew_522275deb8.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-11T05:31:18.536Z" />
 </figure>
</div>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<h4 class="has-text-align-center has-text-color" style="color: #1a66e0">
 HOPE FOR TRANSFORMATION
</h4>


 Nobility of the soul requires cultivating. This opportunity is granted to wise
 hearts every day. Many wise hearts are now dispersed across the world. This is
 a good thing. We need not despair for humanity; it already possesses the seeds
 of the future.


<hr />

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<div>
 <figure>
 <img width="360" height="505" alt="" class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/hope2_5a6103762c.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-11T05:37:52.695Z" />
 </figure>
</div>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<h4 class="has-text-align-center has-vivid-red-color has-text-color">
 HOPE FOR THE GOAL
</h4>


 “On a day when the wind is perfect, the sail just needs to open and the world
 is full of beauty. Today is such a day.” 
 —Rumi


<hr />

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<div>
 <figure>
 <img width="360" height="505" alt="" class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/hope3_5d50977c57.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-11T05:40:28.886Z" />
 </figure>
</div>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<h4 class="has-text-align-center">
 HOPE FOR GUIDANCE
</h4>


 The meaning of diksha is initiation, and one definition is “Induction
 into a new realm of awareness and practice by a teacher or trainer through the
 bestowing of blessings and the transmission of prana.” It denotes a
 deepening connection with the Source.


<hr />

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<div>
 <figure>
 <img width="360" height="505" alt="" class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/hope4_729b52352a.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-11T05:42:45.734Z" />
 </figure>
</div>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<h4 class="has-text-align-center">
 HOPE FOR ESSENTIAL SERVICE
 
</h4>


 “And he gave it for his opinion, that whoever could make two ears of corn, or
 two blades of grass, to grow upon a spot of ground where only one grew before,
 would deserve better of mankind, and do more essential service to his country,
 than the whole race of politicians put together.” —Jonathan Swift,
 Gulliver’s Travels


<hr />

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<div>
 <figure>
 <img width="360" height="456" alt="" class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/hope5_42c31acf5f.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-11T05:44:39.479Z" />
 </figure>
</div>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<h4 class="has-text-align-center">
 HOPE TO MEET
</h4>

<hr />

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<div>
 <figure>
 <img width="360" height="505" alt="" class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/hope6_c60e9f17ec.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-11T06:25:26.444Z" />
 </figure>
</div>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<h4 class="has-text-align-center">
 HOPE FOR THE PLANET
</h4>


 The simple Mantra Om Shree Gaia Ma calls for the healing of Mother
 Earth. It will align you with the feeling of gratitude and the elements of
 Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit. It is powerful in cultivating your
 intuitive communication with Nature, and it serves to rebalance the energy of
 the collective consciousness toward that of wholeness, peace, and abundance.



 I offer all of my prayers to thee, my respect and gratitude, and may this be a
 conscious oath to protect you and to honor you as I recognize the great need
 for your healing.



 May your fields be rich and your soil fertile, and may they be sown and reaped
 with care.



 May your mountains attest to your splendor and strength and your valleys hum
 with the lullaby of your receptive embrace.



 May your oceans, waters, rivers, and glaciers be pure and nourishing, as the
 life-blood of the planet.



 May your air be clean and free of toxins so that all may breathe deeply and
 fully the great life-force.



 May your turning invoke an understanding of all cyclical things in nature; of
 growth and decay, of planting and harvest, of karmic cycles; and that as we
 give, so do we receive.



 May your children learn to care for you and love you, and teach their children
 the same.



 You are the Earth, and I am your child.


So it is!

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<hr />

Hope

<hr class="vertical-space1" />


<h3 class="has-text-align-center has-text-color block-heading" id="h-an-art-essay" style="color: #cf2d6f">
 AN ART ESSAY
</h3>


<hr class="vertical-space1" />



 What an insight it could be to travel in a Commitment Train called
 Ma, to have a window seat, but this time look inside rather
 than out. Just a silent witness along for the ride.



 I would then see the inner workings of a pure soul, full of love,
 moving on the tracks of life. Through rivers, fields and all
 the rife, nothing seeming to deter those flywheels.



 An engine of commitment, fueled just by purity and love to stop
 and go. Life’s signals of red and green guided by conscience
 as the driver keeps one eye on the road and another inward.



 On a silent night, when the winds are still you may hear a quiet
 voice, and feel sometimes steam, sometimes tears. Yet this
 journey that seems endless in distance feels like a pilgrimage,
 abundant with blessings.



 This commitment train never rests. There are different
 destinations and stops but, unspoken commitment bound, into
 the nights and days, on an endless journey. So, there is promise
 in the morrows for ones who follow.


<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<div class="block-image">
 <figure>
 <img alt="commitment-train2" class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/commitment_train2_a2d1f551ed.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-13T07:58:38.344Z" />
 </figure>
</div>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<div class="block-image">
 <figure>
 <img alt="commitment-train3" class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/commitment_train3_0d3b90b414.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-13T07:59:20.941Z" />
 </figure>
</div>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<div class="block-image">
 <figure>
 <img alt="commitment-train4" class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/commitment_train4_4547895e69.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-13T08:00:24.165Z" />
 </figure>
</div>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<div class="block-image">
 <figure>
 <img alt="" class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/commitment_train5_2e33b60eb3.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-13T08:01:06.824Z" />
 </figure>
</div>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<div class="block-image">
 <figure>
 <img alt="commitment-train6" class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/commitment_train6_d7789fa114.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-13T08:01:51.442Z" />
 </figure>
</div>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<hr />

<h4 class="has-text-align-center block-heading">
 Art and Poetry by NARENDRA KINI
</h4>

<hr />

Commitment train

Natalia Kalenova

<h4>
 NATALIA KALENOVA has learnt techniques
 of spiritual healing , intuitive healing, energy work and psychology in
 the UK, from Joe Dispenza in the US, and in Russia from the Institute of
 Innovative Psychotechnologies and an energy coach and healer. Here she
 explores 7 ways to develop healthier and happier relationships.
 </h4>
 
 It took me about 5 years to realize how to manifest the relationship of my
 dreams. Traveling and working in different parts of the world I realized
 that most of us suffer from similar issues and that relationships are an
 ongoing and interesting topic that we strive to understand and learn more
 about. Both women and men in the USA, the Dominican Republic, UK,
 Switzerland, Greece and other countries suffer from feeling unloved,
 lonely or being in the wrong relationship. They strive for a loving and
 fulfilling relationship, but feel like they are always attracting the
 wrong people.
 
 
 After doing some research, and working with healers and energy coaches
 around the world, I have created 7 steps that have helped me and others to
 bring relationships to a higher level – a level that we hadn’t even
 imagined possible in life. I believe that it is possible for everyone to
 have a loving and fulfilling relationship. It is just a matter of healing,
 learning, appreciating, accepting, and reshaping our mindset.
 
 <hr class="vertical-space1" />
 
 <img
 alt="7steps_1"
 class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/7steps_1_f6d4eb34e1.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-04T06:57:05.902Z"
 />
 
 <h6><hr class="vertical-space1" /></h6>
 <h6>
 www.nataliakalenova.com 
 www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100016549020905 
 Instagram @sunrisezaika
 </h6>
 <hr class="vertical-space1" />
 
 <hr />
 
 <h4 style="text-align: center">Article by&nbsp;NATALIA KALENOVA</h4>
 
 <hr />

7 extraordinary steps to a fulfilling and loving relationship

Nate is a Clinical Social Worker, father, and Stockton University’s Assistant Director of Counseling Services and Active Minds advisor. He is also a Heartfulness Trainer, and enjoys pet therapy, cooking, surfing, and Yoga.

Nate-Morell.jpg

Nate Morell

<h4>
 NATE MORELL
 celebrates the healing beauty of the dawn and a beautiful sunrise. Through
 this connection with nature, he also discovers the purpose of our human
 existence.
</h4>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />


 It was 6:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning as I walked my dog next to the Mill
 Pond. It was cool and dark with the smell of pine trees and fallen leaves in
 the air, about an hour before sunrise. My photographer friend Susan calls this
 the “magic hour,” because there is a beauty and a stillness to the world only
 experienced during this wondrous moment. The first light of the day began to
 appear over the pond and along the tree-lined horizon. Within minutes, streaks
 of electric pink and tangerine orange spread across the sky and bounced off
 the high, cool, deep, fluffy, purple clouds.



 The entire ecosystem seemed to be alive and celebrating the coming of the new
 day. The fish were jumping from the water, the hawks and ducks were calling
 out, quacking, and screeching, and my pup and I were taking it in, honoring
 the dawn along with the world, absorbing it all, every precious and sacred
 moment.



 In her autobiography, Wild, Cheryl Strayed quoted her mom as saying,
 “There’s always a sunrise and always a sunset and it’s up to you to choose to
 be there for it. … Put yourself in the way of beauty.” That quote resonated
 deeply within my heart and stayed with me, and so there I was, showing up with
 my dog “in the way of beauty.”



 As I continued walking next to the pond, I realized that I was experiencing
 healing from nature. This sunrise felt like an antidote to the painful,
 gripping, pressured, complex, anxiety-producing, and Covid-exhausting thoughts
 and emotions that had entered my life through the tiny cracks of the heart
 over the last eighteen months. These complexities had built up, and until they
 were either felt or released, I would break down again. Here, I experienced
 nature as big enough to hold all my emotional pain, maybe even the whole
 world’s pain, and I smiled and let go of trying to control everything. Nature
 generously received it all.


<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<hr />

<h4 class="has-text-align-center">
 I experienced nature as big enough to hold all my
 emotional pain,
 maybe even the whole world’s pain, and I smiled and let go of trying
 to control everything. Nature generously received it all.
</h4>

<hr />

<hr class="vertical-space1" />


 The water on the lake was perfectly still. As the sun rose higher in the sky,
 an unbelievable and overwhelming golden yellow-orange warmth consumed the sky
 and reflected perfectly off the calm clear water, which doubled the beauty of
 the sunrise. I thought to myself, “What could I possibly create that could
 match even one percent of the exquisiteness of this moment?” It was all so
 perfect and freely available; all I had to do was show up and bask in the
 light. How ridiculously lucky was I to be alive? I felt joy for the grace of
 attending mother nature’s church, and sadness because my dog and I were the
 only ones bearing witness. What could be more important than this?



 We walked along the water’s edge and soaked in nature’s gifts. I had the urge
 to meditate and realized that in five minutes a group session would start on
 Zoom. I had a foldable chair and towel in the car, so I gathered everything I
 needed and set up next to the pond under the pine trees. I had not consciously
 packed my meditation things, but they were there, ready for me.



 I activated the Zoom link and began by relaxing my toes, moving upward, and
 letting go of tension in my body, all the way to the top of my head. I felt
 the complexities and stress release from my physical body, especially from my
 shoulders, jaw, forehead, and neck. As my body released the stored stress and
 trauma within, I experienced a release of the weight of the world. I was then
 left feeling light and spacious.



 I became aware of my heart, and of something sacred, precious, and intangible
 within the heart. I took a chance and surrendered to a place of limitless love
 and depth. I went deeper and deeper, letting go, and falling into love. I
 experienced a brief wave of fear, realizing I may never come back, but then
 trusting that the doorway in my heart was creating and supporting this moment.
 I let go completely.


<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<hr />

<h4 class="has-text-align-center">
 I became aware of my heart, and of something sacred,
 precious, and
 intangible within the heart. I took a chance and surrendered to a
 place of limitless love and depth. I went deeper and deeper, letting
 go, and falling into love.
</h4>

<hr />

<hr class="vertical-space1" />


 And then a movement into surrender, merged and absorbed in love. “I” was
 nowhere, and yet somehow still intricately woven into the depths of
 everything. The experience may have lasted one second or a million years –
 time had stopped; being “me” had stopped. The peace of the Center, the root of
 the root, the actors dropping away and the truth shining so brightly that it
 burnt away anything that was not Reality. Words, beliefs, language, culture,
 gender, fear, separateness, desire, aversion all stopped. Breathing and the
 experience of a beating heart stopped, as if a “drop of clear water was
 dropped into the ocean,”1
 except this ocean was infinite love, and the drop of water was the soul.



 At some point, awareness of “self” with a physical body, a social security
 number, a job, and a family loosely reformed. Oh my gosh,
 everything I will ever need is already within me! That is the point
 of this life. There is nothing to think through or figure out. It is not a
 secret written in Sanskrit or locked within the Da Vinci code. It is not some
 huge problem that needs to be solved to earn my way to salvation. It is an
 experience that is available to us here and now, and the pathway is through
 our hearts. We are here to realize the Source for ourselves. How pure, simple,
 and beautiful. It was there all along and I had completely missed it.



 To have experienced this revelation and taken it in was mind-blowing. The
 silliness of spending my life chasing things I desire, and avoiding things I
 don’t desire, hurting others out of fear or to protect myself, worrying about
 what other people think about me, acquiring expensive cars and clothes,
 relationship dramas, having a respectable social media presence, FOMO, job
 stress, politics, saving the world, external recognition, degrees, achieving
 status, and making my family proud seemed unspeakably off the mark. It is not
 that these things are bad; but making them the purpose of my life is deeply
 misguided.


<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<div class="block-image">
 <figure>
 <img decoding="async" width="464" height="668" alt="everything_you_need_is_within_you2"
 class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/everything_you_need_is_within_you2_fbd3ab93bd.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T07:27:05.130Z" />
 </figure>
</div>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />


 I will never achieve deep and lasting happiness through the pursuit of
 external things. Instead, all I have to do is show up and surrender to the
 unfathomable beauty in the essence and depth of the heart. It has been said,
 “Love is always offered and never forced,” so it comes down to that really.
 This entire universe is just one big offering of love, and all we need to do
 is show up and accept it. That’s all.


<hr class="vertical-space1" />

1 Swami Vivekananda

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

Everything you need is already within you

NATWAR SHARMA

<h3 style="text-align: center;">The Heart is the Key</h3>
 <hr class="vertical-space1">
 <h4>DR. NATWAR SHARMA shares his experience and ideas about the intuitive role of the heart and its critical place in our lives.</h4>
 <hr class="vertical-space1">
 <img class="lazyload has-img-center" src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/heart_key2_4faf8d60f4.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T04:06:41.156Z" />
 
 One day my wife and I were watching our two year-old having fun in the playground. Suddenly she expressed concern that the little one was beginning to develop a fever. The physician in me immediately dismissed it – the symptoms simply did not add up. A few hours later, to my astonishment, he was burning with fever! Instead of snubbing me with an “I told you so,” my wife silenced me with her intuition and premonition regarding our son’s health.
 What is intuition? And where does it come from? From my own experience as a mainstream doctor and therapist, as well as a layperson, I am convinced that it is the heart that is the seat of intuition, the sixth sense.
 The HeartMath Institute has been researching the physiological mechanism of the heart and how it communicates with the brain and processes information, what are emotions, and how they are perceived or sensed. Among these, their landmark research is about pre-stimulus response, which is nothing but the science of intuition. In one such very interesting study, conducted by the institute, different images capable of stimulating emotions like fear, joy, grief and so on, were displayed one after the other in front of a sample group of the population, and the heart-rhythm activity, or the heart-rate variability (ECG), and the brain responses (EEG) were recorded in each case. It was observed that people were able to sense the emotion before the image was displayed.
 While both the heart and the brain received the pre-stimulus information about 4 to 5 seconds before being exposed to a future emotional image randomly selected by the computer, the heart actually received the information 1.5 seconds before the brain.1
 There are several other areas of study related to the heart, involving memory and the energy field. In my work as a therapist, when I take people into a deep subconscious state, there are some who reveal memories that go back as far as the time they were in their mother’s womb, as a newly-formed fetus. Medically speaking, pregnancy is confirmed when the heart of the new life inside the mother’s womb starts beating. The brain is not yet formed in any way; it is just a primitive bunch of neurons at that time. But the heart of the fetus is pumping. So when a person recollects and shares an episode which occurred that early in their life, what part of the human system is responsible for that memory?
 In his groundbreaking work, The Heart’s Code, Dr. Paul Pearsall cites several anecdotes on this topic. He combines ancient wisdom, modern education, and scientific research to demonstrate that the human heart holds the secret to the link between body, mind and spirit. His study focuses on the heart’s memory and energy field, showing that the heart is not just a pumping organ, but also retains subtle information and is in itself a source of infinite knowledge yet to be discovered and comprehended by the science of modern times.
 Similarly, there are instances when people in a coma are known to capture or perceive what is happening around them, and some of these episodes are termed Near Death Experiences (NDE). What part of the human system actually perceives these seemingly out-of-body sensations, when the brain activity is clinically nil or negligent? What I find even more fascinating is the fact that, like the birth of the fetus in the mother’s womb, the death of the person is medically certified only when the heart stops beating or functioning. It is an indication that the heart is not only the seat of intuition, but essentially the source or center of life itself. Dr. Raymond Moody’s Life After Life is a wonderful scientific treatise for those who wish to explore this subject in more depth.
 <hr>
 <h5 style="text-align: center;">The heart is not only the seat of intuition, 
 but essentially the source or center of life itself.</h5>
 <hr>
 As a practicing pediatrician, I often notice that children walk into my clinic in a state of fear or anxiety about what’s going to happen next: What will the doctor do? Will he give me an injection? Will he ask me to take bitter medicine? In the light of this awareness I have been doing a small experiment, where I start connecting with my heart before each scheduled appointment. I take a few moments to be silent and dive into the depths of my heart, with the suggestion that “Joy is radiating from my heart to the child’s heart, alleviating all her fear and anxiety.” The moment I connect in this manner, I feel a shift in my own inner condition and outer expression. There is a feeling of lightness within, which usually flashes as a warm smile on my face and, ultimately, that reflects in the child. I have observed that in most cases when I welcome my patients in this manner, there is a sense of ease and comfort in them which is distinctly not visible on other routine days.
 In almost all cultures around the world, a person is described by the quality of their heart: “Oh, he is such a kind-hearted man,” “She is so warmhearted,” or “They are hard-hearted people.” So, if you want to change the nature or behavior of a person, where does the change really need to be effected? The answer seems obvious: the heart. And that is why the Heartfulness Institute recommends meditation on the heart, with the aid of a unique and ancient technique known as yogic Transmission. You will find more details regarding yogic Transmission and its benefits at <a href="https://www. heartfulnessmagazine.com/transmission" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www. heartfulnessmagazine.com/transmission</a>/.
 During pilot research with Terrablue XT, we studied the flow of yogic Transmission with the help of a device that records physiological functions of the body while the person is involved in different activities like sleeping, resting, relaxing, or meditating. Our findings showed that there is certainly a flow of energy between the trainer’s heart and the one receiving the Transmission, despite the absence of any physical contact between the two people in the meditative state. During every such meditation, the Terrablue device recorded a positive shift in heart-rate variability and galvanic skin response, indicating that the people meditating were in a deep state of calm and rest. Time and again, practitioners have shared the profound changes in their own nature and in their surrounding environment as a result of practicing Heartfulness techniques over a sustained period of time. You may read some of these articles at <a style="color: #c99b3e;" href="https://heartfulness.org/in/humans-ofheartfulness" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://heartfulness.org/in/humans-ofheartfulness/</a>.
 The heart’s wisdom is an ancient science. Shamans or Elders in all cultures were well-versed in using their intuition to predict changes in the season or the weather, in foretelling birth and death, and in identifying nature’s resources for healing and vitality. Even today, there are indigenous tribes around the world who are well-versed in the art of tapping into and using the heart’s secret potential, which may appear incomprehensible and inaccessible to the scientific community of modern times. Surely a lot more research needs to be done on this unassuming little organ, for I am certain the heart is not merely a physical pump and that there is a lot more to what is visible or tangible. It may hold the key to life, death, and perhaps even beyond.
 1 <a href="https://www.heartmath.org/research/science-of-the-heart/intuition-research" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.heartmath.org/research/science-of-the-heart/intuition-research</a>
 <hr>
 <h4 style="text-align: center;">Article by DR. NATWAR SHARMA 
 Illustrations by UMA MAHESWARI</h4>
 <hr>

Intuitive science

<h4>
 DR. NATWAR SHARMA explores the world
 of feelings and emotions, their effect on the physical body, and how we
 can learn to manage them effectively.
 </h4>
 <hr class="vertical-space1" />
 
 Our life is largely the interplay of feelings and emotions. It is
 important for us to understand why they surface and how we react to
 them, because that in turn will develop our mental perception and
 improve our physical health.
 
 <h4 style="text-align: justify">
 What Are Emotions?
 </h4>
 
 Emotions are basically ‘energy in motion – e-motion’. They generally
 carry a weight or leave an impression on our physical and subtle bodies.
 They are responses, primarily of ‘flight or fight’, which come from the
 subcortical regions of the brain, especially the amygdala and the
 pre-frontal cortex, when we face a particular situation or condition.
 Thus they are part of the subconscious.
 
 
 Emotions potentiate the memory associated with any incident or event. A
 memory without the backing of any emotion is not strong enough to last
 through time, nor does it have much impact on our current physical and
 mental make-up. In contrast, a memory with an associated emotion is more
 likely to influence our present situation. 
 This is one of the primary reasons that it is so important to be aware
 of and handle our emotions in a sane manner.
 
 <h4 style="text-align: justify">
 How Do Emotions Affect the Human Body?
 </h4>
 
 In the current world, where many of us live in cities with busy
 routines, we are not able to be in touch with our feelings and emotions,
 let alone deal with them. We keep going on and on, until we cross the
 threshold and feel overburdened and stressed. Every individual has a
 threshold for emotional tolerance, and when we overstep that threshold
 it adversely affects our physical health.
 
 
 How does this happen? When our capacity to cope with a particular
 situation crosses this threshold, the subcortical region of the brain,
 or the amygdala, is activated, in turn triggering the neocortex, which
 ultimately produces signals that manifest in the physical body as
 physical sensations.
 
 Try these experiments:
 
 Observe your physical body during various activities. For example,
 note the reactions in your body while watching an emotionally charged
 program on television, like a horror movie or thriller. Your muscles
 may contract without your knowledge and your heart may beat at a
 faster rate. These somatic changes in the body, directly or indirectly
 determine the level of stress you experience during the day.
 
 
 
 Similarly, uttering a word or phrase or sentence that is charged with
 an emotion produces a physical sensation in the body. For example, you
 may feel tightness or heaviness, weakness or pain, or a tingling
 sensation in your body while recollecting something that scares you
 while repeatedly uttering, “I am feeling scared of …”
 
 
 
 Repeat this experiment with different sentences conveying positive
 and negative emotions, and see what reactions they produce in the
 body.
 
 
 You may be amazed with what you observe and feel.
 
 
 Often the words ‘emotion’ and ‘feeling’ are used interchangeably. They
 are two sides of the same coin, yet they are different. For example, I
 may feel left out in a particular situation, but what emotion is backing
 this feeling? As an adult I may be sad that I was not included. As a
 child I may be angry at my parents for leaving me out of some talk or
 activity, or I may even be guilty that I did not do what I was supposed
 to do and automatically missed being a part of something. I may also
 experience a mixture of all these emotions.
 
 
 Thus, one situation can produce a cocktail of emotions – and when such a
 cocktail is suppressed for too long it can be debilitating. Suppressed
 emotions generally manifest in the physical body as some kind of an
 ailment or disease – this I can duly validate through my work and
 research with my patients and clients, both as a physician and a
 therapist.
 
 <h4 style="text-align: justify">
 Emotions in Children
 </h4>
 
 The depth of feeling and emotion in children is much stronger than in
 adults. One reason is that they are empty books: everything is written
 afresh on their pages. A second is that the subconscious mind is very
 powerful when they are young. And a third reason is that their capacity
 to discriminate is not strong enough; they still need to grow in wisdom
 in order to reason and come to a conclusion.
 
 
 <img
 class="has-img-center lazyload w-100 h-auto"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/play_of_emotions2_a5b5f35e72.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T11:24:59.250Z"
 alt="play-of-emotions2"
 />
 
 
 Children are very sensitive and receptive, so we must be extra careful
 when we deal with them. How do we explain things to them? How do we
 allow them to come to a conclusion in a simple way?
 
 
 One way is to just be with them and go through whatever they are
 experiencing in that moment. For example, if your child is scared of the
 dark, instead of admonishing her, sit with her in a dark room and go
 through the experience together. In my practice, I have found this to be
 more effective as it may actually help children to open up and confide
 in their parents.
 
 
 Basically, we need to devise different ways and methods to deal with
 children. Once they form an impression and come to a conclusion about
 something, it conditions them for life, so that they run according to
 the same program the mind has created. When writing on a new page,
 ensure that you write it well!
 
 <h4 style="text-align: justify">
 How to Deal With Negative Emotions?
 </h4>
 
 It is important to release negative emotions from the subconscious,
 preferably as soon as they are triggered. Another interesting
 observation is that seemingly negative emotions, like fear and anger,
 may actually be used positively in context to the situation. For
 example, it may be good for a student to feel some tension or stress, to
 the extent that it drives them to work hard and do well in life. But
 when we continue to feel the same over a period of time, when we carry
 the negative emotion, it not only affects our own health but also the
 moods and conditions of people around us. A typical case would be that
 of the boss who walks into the office in an angry mood, which cascades
 down to the employees and everyone else he meets during the day.
 
 
 One way to refine our emotions and feelings, purifying them of
 negativity, is the Heartfulness Cleaning – a proven and effective
 technique in this context.
 
 
 Another method to deal with negative emotional reactions, such as
 anxiety, anger or fear, is to activate the parasympathetic nervous
 system, our ‘rest and digest system’. When such emotions surface, try
 closing the right nostril with your thumb and breathing deeply through
 the left nostril. It helps to activate the parasympathetic nervous
 system.
 
 
 Last but not least, pause before reacting in any situation. By doing so,
 you are most likely to respond in a heartfelt manner instead of
 reacting.
 
 
 Much of the research today in the field of pathology of diseases traces
 their roots to deeply suppressed emotions in the human subconscious over
 a length of time. Medical science is opening up to various alternate
 therapies and modalities of treatment, such as psychotherapy, Emotional
 Freedom Technique, and other cognitive therapies, to deal with the root
 cause at the base of physical ailments. Slowly but surely, we are moving
 towards more holistic ways of healing, combining mainstream medicine
 with alternative therapies, facilitating the well-being of the body,
 mind and soul.
 
 <hr />
 <h4 style="text-align: center">Article by DR. NATWAR SHARMA</h4>
 <hr />

The play of emotions

<h4>DR NATWAR SHARMA shares some thoughts on our current sleep crisis, and why it
 is a good idea to get a good night’s sleep.</h4>
Sleep is defined as an altered state of consciousness wherein the sensory and motor
 systems are relatively inhibited.
Why do we need sleep?
Most of us living in cities have a lot of mental activity, but our physical activity is
 almost zero. Especially with all these gadgets available, there is no need to travel and we can sit at one place and
 work. At the same time, the mind is hyper-stimulated. There is so much to do today, so much to catch up on: movies,
 TV, social media. And how much time is consumed on WhatsApp!
Why do we need sleep? Now when we look at the animal world, we see how beautifully
 they’re aligned with nature. By sunset they fall asleep, and with the first rays of the sun you can hear the birds
 chirping. As human beings what has gone wrong with us?
We too have a circadian clock, which helps us to wake up and sleep. The hormone
 melatonin is responsible for this, and light basically inhibits the secretion of this hormone. We are exposed to a
 lot of artificial light today. Even after sunset, there is light all around. Also, most of us don’t follow sleep
 hygiene: we are awake – on our mobile phones, watching TV or just surfing. Imagine the amount of light entering our
 eyes, not allowing the melatonin hormone to be secreted and function properly.
What happens as a result of all this? Gradually stress builds up. We use our mobile
 phone throughout the day, recharge it at night, and the next day it is ready to be used again. The same is the case
 with our body: it needs to be recharged. In many cases, even if our body is not completely recharged, we can push
 ourselves because there are additional mechanisms. It is like having a back-up battery in your mobile phone. But in
 order to make that happen, there is a lot of extra load on the body’s mechanisms and that’s when stress builds up.

What is needed in today’s scenario is to create a balance in our lives. On the one hand
 we need to have some physical activity in order to tire our body, while on the other we need to reduce mental
 stimulation especially after sunset. It is not possible to avoid stress in today’s world; stress has become part of
 life. But how can we manage stress?
Apart from indulging in physical activities, we may practice techniques like relaxation
 and meditation. They help the mind to calm down and induce much better sleep.
Sleep is a very important aspect of our lives, which we ignore. Please think over this.
 I wish you all a good night’s sleep!
<hr>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Article by DR NATWAR SHARMA</h4>
<hr>

The science of sleep

Neale is the author of 37 books on contemporary spirituality, including seven New York Times bestsellers. His Conversations with God series has been translated into 35 languages and read by millions around the world. He travels extensively focusing on what he calls the most important question facing humanity today: Is it possible that there is something we don't fully understand about God and about Life, the understanding of which would change everything?

Nealdonald.jpg

Neale Donald Walsch

<h4>NEALE DONALD WALSCH addresses the underlying cause of our global dysfunctions
 today and challenges us all to solve them, together, through one single decision. Are we ready for this?</h4>
<img decoding="async" class="lazyload img-float-right has-img-center-in-mobile"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/NEALE_DONALD_WALSCH_8d0cbc76a3.jpeg?updated_at=2023-04-05T06:06:26.097Z">We
 – you and I – have a chance to solve the biggest problem in the world today. All we have to do is make a single
 decision. But so far we haven’t been able to make that decision, because the biggest problem in the world today is
 that most people don’t know what the biggest problem in the world today is.
Now that’s remarkable, because this problem is so huge, it is causing all of the other
 problems, all of the ‘smaller’ problems, that we hear about every day. That includes global warming, planetary
 political upheaval, worldwide economic disparity, endless wars, and widespread individual frustration and
 dissatisfaction with the conditions of life.
All of these predicaments are the fallout, the direct result, of one pervasive
 condition. That condition can be described in one word.
Alienation.
Human beings are alienated from each other. And we’re experiencing more alienation every
 day. Overnight we’ve found ourselves in bigger versions of an ‘Us Against Them’ world than most of us have ever
 encountered before.
Nothing that’s gone wrong with the world is our fault. Nothing. We’re not responsible
 for any of it. Not a single piece of it. It’s all their doing.
It’s those unwanted immigrants, those unsatisfied minorities, those unhappy women, those
 right-wing radicals, those left-wing nut jobs, those unacceptable gays, those uninformed students, those dumb
 conservatives, those empty-headed liberals, those unmotivated government assistance recipients. It’s those ‘others’
 who just keep making things difficult.
Not everyone feels this way, of course, but everyone can feel everyone who feels this
 way. So it’s affecting all of us. Each day it’s producing distressing headlines, angry blogs, name-calling speeches,
 childish rants, attacking tweets, bullying diatribes, finger-pointing tirades, and violence-laden actions.
And not just ‘over there’. It used to be ‘over there’, in that other country, in that
 other town, in that other place. But now it’s right here, in our own town, in our own country, and sometimes, sadly,
 in our own hearts.
Why? Because alienation inevitably arises in the aftermath of ongoing citizen
 frustration. And citizen frustration inevitably arises in the aftermath of ongoing societal dysfunction. And
 societal dysfunction inevitably arises in the aftermath of ongoing systemic failure. And that’s exactly what we’re
 faced with here. Long-term, ongoing, systemic failure.
None of the systems we’ve put in place to make life better for all of us are working.
 There are some rare exceptions, but in the main, most are failing to produce the outcomes they were intended to
 produce.
Wait. It’s worse. They’re actually producing the opposite.
Our political systems, our economic systems, our social systems, even our vaunted
 worldwide Internet systems, are hurting us, not helping us. And, saddest of all, our spiritual systems, which so
 many had hoped would bring us closer to God and closer to each other, have done exactly the opposite.
All of this can be reversed, however, and all with a simple flip of humanity’s Belief
 Switch. We merely have to turn off our belief in Separation.
It is the idea that we are separate from each other and from God that has generated the
 conditions that have produced – and continue to create and tolerate – the predicaments mentioned earlier.
Are you aware that still today, in the first quarter of the 21st century, 1.5 billion
 people have no access to clean water? That more than 1.7 billion still have no electricity? That nearly 2.5 billion
 of our fellow humans still live without indoor plumbing? That’s one quarter of the human race.
Now one might argue that these are but inconveniences. Yet hundreds of thousands die
 each year as a result of the unhealthy conditions arising out of these ‘inconveniences’.
And consider this: Every hour more than 650 children die of starvation on the planet.

Could any of this occur if our species as a whole embraced a consciousness of Oneness?
 No. So what is being invited today by Life Itself is a movement on the part of every individual not just to be aware
 of our Oneness, but to live it.
For humanity, this has become the essential path. This is what it will take for us to
 move forward with our evolution on Earth. And we can do this by making one simple decision.
<hr>
<h5 style="text-align: center;">Adopting the idea that we are Spiritual Beings, One
 Being, 
 is not about creating a science-fictionesque utopian society. 
 But we can create a planetary community of far more loving, 
 peaceful, safe and joyous people, thriving and not constantly struggling, 
 relaxed and not continually straining, 
 celebrating and not endlessly competing or opposing.
</h5>
<hr>
Put into question form, the decision for all humans comes down to this:
1. Are we temporary physical beings, or are we Eternal Spiritual
 Beings Manifesting Physically? 
 2. Are we completely separate entities, or One Essence Manifesting Individually?
Basically, the question is, “What is our True Nature?” Our life as it is now being lived
 offers us a chance to demonstrate our answer. And this is something that each of us is doing, right here, right now.

Should we choose to write a New Cultural Story, one which announces and declares that
 humans are Spiritual Beings and All One – united with each other and with The Creator – everything would change on
 this planet. Our motivations, our intentions, our objectives, and our interactions would be altered at every level.
 Our relationships in this civilization – nation-with-nation, religion-with-religion, race-with-race,
 conservative-withliberal, man-with-woman, straight-with-gay, young-with-old – would become civil at last.
<img decoding="async" class="lazyload w-100"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/solution2_cac2e065c3.jpeg?updated_at=2023-04-05T06:07:25.111Z">

Our problem of Alienation, our idea that violence is a legitimate means of addressing
 differences, our condition of insufficiency and our unnecessary suffering endured by billions … all of this and more
 would disappear from the Earth, dissolved by new ideas of ourselves that would quickly induce the abandonment of our
 most damaging self-concepts.
Does this mean we would create a life on Earth without a single concern or challenge of
 any kind? No, of course not. Adopting the idea that we are Spiritual Beings, One Being, is not about creating a
 science-fiction-esque utopian society. But we can create a planetary community of far more loving, peaceful, safe
 and joyous people, thriving and not constantly struggling, relaxed and not continually straining, celebrating and
 not endlessly competing or opposing.
Can we do it? Can our species embrace a Consciousness of Oneness, of Unity with each
 other and with The Divine? I believe we can. And there are many tools we can use. All we have to do is intend to do
 so, and our intention will act as a powerful magnet, with the awareness of those tools and how to use them being
 drawn to us from many sources – not the least of which may very well be the magazine you are reading right now.
So read on. And read often. And commit to living the truth, if it is your truth, that We Are All One.
This article is adapted from Neale’s latest book, The Essential Path, to be
 published in June and now available for pre-order at most online bookstores. Neale Donald Walsch may be reached
 for personal interaction at www. CWGConnect.com.
<hr>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Article by NEALE DONALD WALSCH</h4>
<hr>

The  solution to the biggest problem in the world today

<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h4>NEALE DONALD WALSCH addresses the underlying cause of our global dysfunctions
 today and challenges us all to solve them, together, through one single decision. Are we ready for this?</h4>

<hr class="vertical-space1">

We – you and I – have a chance to solve the biggest problem in the world today. All we
 have to do is make a single decision. But so far we haven’t been able to make that decision, because the biggest
 problem in the world today is that most people don’t know what the biggest problem in the world today is.
Now that’s remarkable, because this problem is so huge, it is causing all of the other
 problems, all of the ‘smaller’ problems, that we hear about every day. That includes global warming, planetary
 political upheaval, worldwide economic disparity, endless wars, and widespread individual frustration and
 dissatisfaction with the conditions of life.
All of these predicaments are the fallout, the direct result, of one pervasive
 condition. That condition can be described in one word.
Alienation.
Human beings are alienated from each other. And we’re experiencing more alienation
 every day. Overnight we’ve found ourselves in bigger versions of an “Us Against Them” world than most of us have
 ever encountered before. Nothing that’s gone wrong with the world is our fault. Nothing. We’re not responsible for
 any of it.
<hr class="vertical-space1">


<hr>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Alienation inevitably arises in the aftermath
 
 of ongoing citizen frustration. 
 And citizen frustration inevitably arises 
 in the aftermath of ongoing societal dysfunction. 
 And societal dysfunction inevitably arises 
 in the aftermath of ongoing systemic failure.
</h4>


<hr>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
Nothing that’s gone wrong with the world is our fault. Nothing. We’re not responsible
 for any of it. Not a single piece of it. It’s all their doing.
It’s those unwanted immigrants, those unsatisfied minorities, those unhappy women,
 those right-wing radicals, those left-wing nut jobs, those unacceptable gays, those uninformed students, those dumb
 conservatives, those empty-headed liberals, those unmotivated government assistance recipients. It’s those ‘others’
 who just keep making things difficult.
Not everyone feels this way, of course, but everyone can feel everyone who
 feels this way. So it’s affecting all of us. Each day it’s producing distressing headlines, angry blogs,
 name-calling speeches, childish rants, attacking tweets, bullying diatribes, finger-pointing tirades, and
 violence-laden actions.
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<img decoding="async" alt="solution-biggest-problem-today2"
 class="azyload w-100"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/solution_biggest_problem_today2_ea70318be1_54628506bc.jpg">
<hr class="vertical-space1">
And not just ‘over there’. It used to be ‘over there’, in that other country, in that
 other town, in that other place. But now it’s right here, in our own town, in our own country, and sometimes, sadly,
 in our own hearts.
Why? Because alienation inevitably arises in the aftermath of ongoing citizen
 frustration. And citizen frustration inevitably arises in the aftermath of ongoing societal dysfunction. And
 societal dysfunction inevitably arises in the aftermath of ongoing systemic failure. And that’s exactly what we’re
 faced with here. Long-term, ongoing, systemic failure. None of the systems we’ve put in place to make life better
 for all of us are working. There are some rare exceptions, but in the main, most are failing to produce the outcomes
 they were intended to produce.
<hr class="vertical-space1">


<hr>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">It is the idea that we are separate from each other and
 from God 
 that has generated the conditions that have produced – 
 and continue to create and tolerate – the predicaments.
</h4>


<hr>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
Wait. It’s worse. They’re actually producing the opposite.
Our political systems, our economic systems, our social systems, even our vaunted
 worldwide Internet systems, are hurting us, not helping us. And, saddest of all, our spiritual systems, which so
 many had hoped would bring us closer to God and closer to each other, have done exactly the opposite.
All of this can be reversed, however, and all with a simple flip of humanity’s Belief
 Switch. We merely have to turn off our belief in Separation.
It is the idea that we are separate from each other and from God that has generated
 the conditions that have produced – and continue to create and tolerate – the predicaments mentioned earlier.
Are you aware that still today, in the first quarter of the 21st century, 1.5 billion
 people have no access to clean water? That more than 1.7 billion still have no electricity? That nearly 2.5 billion
 of our fellow humans still live without indoor plumbing? That’s one quarter of the human race.
Now one might argue that these are but inconveniences. Yet hundreds of thousands die
 each year as a result of the unhealthy conditions arising out of these “inconveniences.”
And consider this: Every hour more than 650 children die of starvation on the planet.

Could any of this occur if our species as a whole embraced a consciousness of Oneness?
 No. So what is being invited today by Life Itself is a movement on the part of every individual not just to be
 aware of our Oneness, but to live it.

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<hr>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">What is being invited today by Life Itself 
 is a movement on the part of every individual 
 not just to be aware of our Oneness, but to live it.
</h4>


<hr>
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For humanity, this has become the essential path. This is what it will take for us to
 move forward with our evolution on Earth. And we can do this by making one simple decision.
Put into question form, the decision for all humans comes down to this:
1. Are we temporary physical beings, or are we Eternal Spiritual
 Beings Manifesting Physically?
2. Are we completely separate entities, or One Essence Manifesting
 Individually?
Basically, the question is, “What is our True Nature?” Our life as it is now being
 lived offers us a chance to demonstrate our answer. And this is something that each of us is doing, right here,
 right now.
Should we choose to write a New Cultural Story, one which announces and declares that
 humans are Spiritual Beings and All One – united with each other and with The Creator – everything would change on
 this planet. Our motivations, our intentions, our objectives, and our interactions would be altered at every level.
 Our relationships in this civilization – nation-with-nation, religion-with-religion, race-with-race,
 conservative-with-liberal, man-with-woman, straight-with-gay, young-with-old – would become civil at last.
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<img decoding="async" alt="solution-biggest-problem-today3" width="834"
 class="lazyload w-100"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/solution_biggest_problem_today3_bd3dc87e2b.jpg">
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Our problem of Alienation, our idea that violence is a legitimate means of addressing
 differences, our condition of insufficiency and our unnecessary suffering endured by billions … all of this and more
 would disappear from the Earth, dissolved by new ideas of ourselves that would quickly induce the abandonment of our
 most damaging self-concepts.
Does this mean we would create a life on Earth without a single concern or challenge
 of any kind? No, of course not. Adopting the idea that we are Spiritual Beings, One Being, is not about creating a
 science-fiction-esque utopian society. But we can create a planetary community of far more loving,
 peaceful, safe and joyous people, thriving and not constantly struggling, relaxed and not continually straining,
 celebrating and not endlessly competing or opposing.Can we do it? Can our species embrace a Consciousness of
 Oneness, of Unity with each other and with The Divine? I believe we can. And there are many tools we can use. All we
 have to do is intend to do so, and our intention will act as a powerful magnet, with the awareness of those tools
 and how to use them being drawn to us from many sources – not the least of which may very well be the magazine you
 are reading right now.
So read on. And read often. And commit to living the truth, if it is your truth, that
 We Are All One.
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This article is adapted with permission from Neale’s
 book The Essential Path (June 2019). Neale Donald Walsch may be reached for personal interaction at <a
 style="color: #808080;" href="http://www.CWGConnect.com." target="_blank"
 rel="noopener noreferrer">www.CWGConnect.com.</a>
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<h4 style="text-align: center;">Article by NEALE DONALD WALSCH</h4>
<hr>

The solution to the biggest problem in the world today

Neelam is an Aerospace Engineer, who has studied and worked on three continents, and currently lives in Munich, Germany. She is an ardent seeker of Truth, enjoys meditation, and has been a Heartfulness trainer for three years. She believes in making a difference to humanity.

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Neelam Shivhare

<h4 style="text-align:justify;">NEELAM SHIVHARE explores some of the great ancient texts of India on motherhood, compares the behavior of Kaikayi and Yashoda, and realizes the importance of removing fear from our hearts in order to nurture our children.</h4>&nbsp;The Ramayana is one of the finest epics of Indian mythology, with lessons of all kinds. It would be unfair to say one lifetime is enough to understand the essence of each character, the plot, and the overall message, but&nbsp;to explain the context, I will write a few sentences.The Ramayana was set in an ancient kingdom, at a time when King Dasharatha was at the cusp of passing his duties of kingship on to his first born, Prince Rama. A peculiarity about this kingdom was that once a person had given their word, it was valued to be the highest, even beyond human life.The kingship of Prince Rama was no surprise to anyone, being the tradition, however it was not accepted by the king’s third wife, Kaikayi, who had been convinced by her maid Manthara that her own son, Bharat, should be king. Her wishes didn’t yield results until one fateful day she happened to help King Dasharatha during a battle, whereafter he granted her a wish. She kept it as leverage for later, and meanwhile crystallized the dream for her son.Just when the time for Prince Rama came to take over the throne, Kaikayi asked the king to grant her wish, as he had promised. She demanded that her son Bharat be the successor instead of Rama, and that Rama and his new wife Sita be sent into exile in the forest far away for fourteen years.Upon learning&nbsp;what Kaikayi did, what emotions arise in you? You may wonder what made her like this? Was it her maid Manthara’s words? My current understanding says it was neither those words nor her decisions. It was fear in her heart that prevented her from seeing the truth.One wonders how a mother can divide two brothers. Well, it appears that sensitivity is a luxury, cherished by few. Nature might give it to mothers, but doesn’t hesitate to take it back should they not exercise it in the journey of life.Kaikayi&nbsp;was blinded by love for her son, aware that he was not the first born for kingship, attached to a future that tempted her. And the cherry on the top was the company she kept. Was she acting from the heart? Doubtful. Was she entirely wrong in her mind, not at all.Then the fault arises in her choice of being driven by fear. Fear engulfs behavior. It enslaves and conditions us, and doesn’t allow even sane people to act correctly.Compare this with&nbsp;Yashoda, the adoptive mother of Lord Krishna, from the era of the Kali Yuga and the great epic of the Mahabharata. Both Kaikayi and Yashoda were mothers, both deeply attached to their sons. What makes them so different?Yashoda received Krishna as a baby and accepted him as her own. Her heart was so free she didn’t activate her mind at all. The way Krishna made his way to her heart wasn’t a coincidence. What made Yashoda behave that way?&nbsp;She was devoid of fear.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">We are creative beings, never forgetting the gifts with which we have been bestowed—the love and tenderness, natural instincts, and intuition to feel the right path. It all lies in the mysterious meanderings of the heart.</h4><hr>What remains when there is no fear? Isn’t it a heart akin to God, so loving that it doesn’t know the difference between my child and someone else’s child?Applying these lessons, I have learned how different destinies can be shaped.&nbsp;What does it &nbsp;take?&nbsp;Awareness.&nbsp;Consciousness of behaviors, vices, and virtues.&nbsp;For young women like myself, who are future mothers, I trust we are on the path of becoming self-aware and brutally honest with ourselves. We are creative beings, never forgetting the gifts with which we have been bestowed—the love and tenderness, natural instincts, and intuition to feel the right path. It all lies in the mysterious meanderings of the heart. Are we really listening to our hearts, or confusing the bombarding information on social media with reality?Practically, what can we do to prepare ourselves?Self-work: First, be honest with yourself. Alone, with the heart, not just meditating for the sake of ticking the box, ask yourself, “Do I like my current self? What is preventing me from being whole in this moment? Am I evolving on a daily basis?” &nbsp;Work on it. Meditate ardently, and every week make a reflection: “How was I behaving last week versus how am I feeling now?”Clarity: It isn’t about how well one can raise a life, but rather, “Am I equipped mentally, emotionally, and physically to even start doing so?” The decision is entirely with the woman. I do not hesitate to say that. Remember, we are creative beings, so there is always a way. And this is the most beautiful job, akin to the Creator’s, which is usually not looked upon with reverence.Action: Before the game begins and you invite a new life into the world, what if you map out what kind of mom you want to be?&nbsp;Cool mom, nurturing mom, or something else? Yes, it is possible to carve out a plan, why not? This is your laboratory and you can choose the ingredients in you that you would love to have.Lalaji’s “Principles of Conversation” help multifold, with their simple recipe to speak with love, like a current of the Divine that enters the heart directly. Imagine being spoken to with so much love, so much ease?Working on that plan also helps prepare ourselves in a way that we overcome our&nbsp;genetic traumas, and also release our regrets, unfulfilled needs, and heal&nbsp;to an extent that our future little angels are served in the best way possible. Like Yashoda Maa’s infinite love. After all, kids are life’s longing to express, and we are privileged to host their bodies for the sake of tomorrow.Turns out,&nbsp;Kaikayi and Yashoda were not just characters in stories, but Viveka personified, if only we are looking!<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">For young women like myself, who are future mothers, I trust we are on the path of becoming self-aware and brutally honest with ourselves.&nbsp;</h4><hr>&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/fear_affect_role_mother2_0a6addd531.webp" alt="fear-affect-role-mother2.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_fear_affect_role_mother2_0a6addd531.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_fear_affect_role_mother2_0a6addd531.webp 1000w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/fear_affect_role_mother2_0a6addd531.webp 1000w," sizes="100vw"></figure>

How does fear affect our roles as mothers?

Neeraja has been a board-certified pediatrician and specialist in pediatric emergency medicine for the past 25 years. She currently resides in New Jersey, USA, with her three children and manages a general pediatric practice. She enjoys reading, tennis, and travel in her spare time.

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Neeraja Kairam

<h4 style="text-align:justify;">NEERAJA KAIRAM is a physician based in New Jersey, USA. She shares with us her gratitude for the community she has found as she navigates the complex emotions surrounding grief, and builds bridges of understanding.&nbsp;</h4>&nbsp;November 29, 2020 is a date etched in my brain as the day my life changed forever.&nbsp;My husband, who had been by my side for 27 years, died suddenly and unexpectedly at the age of 50.&nbsp;I think of that time as an inflection point in my life, before his death (B.D.) and after (A.D.).&nbsp;In the three years since, I have become a different person.&nbsp;Looking back on the early days and months, I see a mix of pain and sorrow, gratitude, and resilience.&nbsp;I am still on the journey of navigating this new life that neither my kids nor I asked for. Along the way, I have discovered how the support of community and the connections I have formed allowed me to flourish even in the most difficult of times.&nbsp;In the aftermath of his death, there were so many mixed and complicated emotions, all shrouded in a cloud of intense grief.&nbsp;The sadness, isolation, fear, and sense of helplessness overwhelmed me in those early days. Outwardly, I appeared fine to many, as I mustered the strength to put one foot in front of the other, driven by the sole purpose of providing stability for my children.Balancing this newfound solo life with a full-time career was far from easy, especially when I inherited the task of managing my late husband’s business.&nbsp;His employees were also grappling with losing their beloved boss and their own anxieties about their livelihoods, so they looked to me for leadership. And, the constant concern for my three teenagers—now relying on me as their sole parent—weighed incessantly.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:70.37%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/transforming_grief2_2f1cd2fd02.webp" alt="transforming-grief2.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_transforming_grief2_2f1cd2fd02.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_transforming_grief2_2f1cd2fd02.webp 800w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/transforming_grief2_2f1cd2fd02.webp 800w," sizes="100vw"></figure>Grief is a complex and often misunderstood emotion. We all encounter it at some point in our lives, yet it remains challenging to accept and share openly. The discomfort it brings to those around us can result in a heavy burden, as we often feel compelled to hold our emotions in.&nbsp;Even the well-intentioned question of “How are you doing?" can leave a griever in a difficult position, unsure how to respond.&nbsp;For would-be consolers, there are also many complex emotions. In addition to sympathy and empathy, a sense of helplessness often stems from not knowing how to alleviate the griever’s grief.&nbsp;There is anxiety about saying the wrong thing, frustration due to the inability to find the right words, awkwardness in not knowing how to act or what to say, and even a tendency to avoid the situation to circumvent these uncomfortable emotions. I have felt all these things myself.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">It is about recognizing the shared human experience and acknowledging the importance of supporting one another through life’s most challenging moments.</h4><hr>In our society, it is uncomfortable to discuss grief, and often not openly accepted. So, is there a way to bridge the gap and foster greater acceptance and understanding? It requires us to break down the walls of separation and push open dialogues about grief to the mainstream. In the end,&nbsp;that journey requires a collective effort to dismantle traditional barriers.&nbsp;It is about re-cognizing the shared human experience and acknowledging the importance of supporting one another through life’s most challenging moments.&nbsp;I was fortunate to have key people in my life who provided crucial support.&nbsp;They offered solace and guidance, and insisted I take moments of self-care. Despite their unwavering presence, I still grappled with an overwhelming sense of aloneness, a feeling that no one could truly understand the depth of my loss unless they had walked a similar path themselves. It wasn’t just the loss of my husband, my best friend, and the anchor of support for my children. It was also the loss of the future we had envisioned together.&nbsp;I lost my partner in travel, music concerts, and other adventures.&nbsp;I dealt with the loss of my identity in the world without him, and the loss of a clear sense of purpose in my life.&nbsp;Not long after my husband’s passing, a former colleague and friend, who had recently lost her husband to cancer, introduced me to an online support group for physician widows.&nbsp;Initially, the word “widow” bore the weight of sorrow, but with time, it came to represent strength and resilience. These women gave me a deep sense of belonging and understanding.&nbsp;They empathized with the myriad of emotions that come with widowhood—grief, guilt, fear, “should haves,” and all the expected and unexpected triggers.&nbsp;This supportive community brought me a sense of normalcy regarding my own emotions, and allowed me to extend support to others enduring similar grief.&nbsp;Recently, when one of them shared, “I have lots of people to do things with, but I have no one to do nothing with,” it was a moment of revelation. I connected with the sentiment, even though I struggled for so long to find the right words to express it. In this community of remarkable women I found solace and mutual support.&nbsp;Support also came from unexpected sources.&nbsp;I am still in awe of an experience that took place a year after my husband’s passing as we were approaching the holiday season.&nbsp;Every day for the 12 days of Christmas, a gift arrived on our front porch, accompanied by a card signed, “Your true friends.”&nbsp;On the 13th day, we received the final gift that explained the meaning behind these mysterious presents, a book called The 13th Gift by Joanne Huist Smith. In her book, she shares her own story of what happened after her husband passed away just before Christmas. Like us, her family received 12 daily gifts from strangers that helped them cope with their grief during the holiday season.&nbsp;To this day, the sender of those gifts remains a mystery, but the impact of this unexpected gesture of kindness and compassion has been permanently cemented in our hearts.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:70.47%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/transforming_grief3_a43a8ade80.webp" alt="transforming-grief3.webp" srcset="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thumbnail_transforming_grief3_a43a8ade80.webp 145w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/large_transforming_grief3_a43a8ade80.webp 800w,https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/transforming_grief3_a43a8ade80.webp 800w," sizes="100vw"></figure>&nbsp;Looking back on the past three years, I am reminded of the people who stood by me when I wasn’t at my best, who listened when I needed to be heard, and who gave me space when I needed it.&nbsp;They encouraged me to take each day one breath at a time. &nbsp;It remains a powerful testament to the support and kindness of loved ones and strangers alike and exemplifies what it means to truly take care of each other.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">They encouraged me to take each day one breath at a time.</h4><hr><hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Illustrations by JASMEE MUDGAL</h4><hr>

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